Two cops killed in terror attacks on sentry of Sufi Shrine, Hurriyat leader in Srinagar

Twin terror attacks rattled the Kashmir valley on Sunday when militants attacked the sentry at the revered Sufi shrine of Hazrat Sheikh Noor-Ud-Din Noorani at Charar-e-Sharief and the guard of Hurriyat Conference leader Fazal Haq Qureshi at Srinagar, leaving two policemen dead.

The first attack occurred in the afternoon when militants fired the sentry guarding the revered Sufi shrine of Hazrat Shekih Noor-Ud-Din Noorani at Charar-e-Sharief.

Selection Grade Constable Kultar Singh of 13th battalion of Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police received grievous wounds and was shifted to the hospital where he succumbed. Militants also snatched his riffle before escaping from the scene.

“Kultar Singh was martyred in a cowardly act of terrorists in Budgam this afternoon. Hailing from Samba district of Jammu, martyr Kultar Singh is survived by aged parents, wife and two sons”, said a police spokesman.

Sufi Shrine of Hazrat Sheikh Noor-Ud-Din Noorani at Charar-e-Sharief was gutted in a gunfight between militants led by Pakistani `Major’ Mast Gul and the army in 1995. Entire Township was razed to the ground but Mast Gul mysteriously escaped from the scene and cross the LoC into Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Since its reconstruction, the police have set up a sentry post to guard the shrine round the clock.

Hours later, militants attacked the police guard at the residence of moderate Hurriyat Conference leader Fazal Haq Qureshi at Bilal Colony Soura in Srinagar outskirts.  

Constable Farooq Ahmad was grievously injured in the attack and was immediately rushed to the hospital where he succumbed. A riflle was also snatched by militants before fleeing from the spot. Police sources said militants surfaced outside Qureshii’s residence in the evening and called Farooq out where he was shot dead.

Qureshi, who heads the People’s Political Front (PPF) which is a constituent of moderate Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was left paralysed after he was shot at by militants in December 2009  in an attempt to derail the quite dialogue process initiated by the center.

Qureshi had played a key role in negotiations after Hizb-ul-Mujhadeen announced a truce in 2000 which however was withdrawn after 14 days. Qureshi was appointed interlocutor by the then Hizb operation commander Abdul Majid Dar. Qureshi led the team of Hizb commanders to meet the then union home secretary.