NEW DELHI, Apr 21:
A suspected Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant arrested for allegedly planning to excute bomb blasts here was today acquitted by a Delhi court.
Mukhtar Ahmed Khan, arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi Police in June, 2007, with 1.5 kg explosives was acquitted by Additional Sessions Judge S S Rathi as the prosecution failed to prove its case.
Mukhtar was arrested on June 12, 2007, from Azadpur Sabzi Mandi in north Delhi with 1.5 kilograms of RDX, a timer and two detonators.
The prosecution case was that he had come to Delhi at the behest of LeT commander Abu Alqama based in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Abu Musab alias Tahir and Abu Hamza, the district commanders of LeT in Srinagar.
The prosecution had also alleged the explosives seized from him were meant to cause bomb blasts in Delhi at the behest of LeT commander Abu Alqama and that Mukhtar was supposed to hand over the explosives to another LeT operative in Delhi before taking the bus to Lahore.
Mukhtar’s counsel M S Khan had pointed to various loopholes in the prosecution’s theory that Mukhtar had come to Delhi in May, 2007, and stayed in a lodge near Jama Masjid till June 7, 2007, where he was being watched by the Special Cell before he disappered on the morning of June 8, 2007.
He had argued there was no coherence in the version of the police that Mukhtar disappeared all of a sudden on June 8, 2007, after which police got the information that he is arriving in Delhi with the contraband on June 12, 2007, when he was arrested.
Advocate Khan also pointed out that there was no evidence to suggest the existence of Abu Alqama, Abu Musab alias Tahir and Abu Hamza.
He also said the 1.5 kg contraband seized by the police was in different packets, out of which only 10 gm was sent for forensic opinion, which casts a shadow on the recovery alleged to have been effected from Mukhtar. (PTI)

Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Apr 21: In a major breakthrough police last night arrested Divisional Commander of Hizbul Mujahideen south Kashmir who was involved in large number of militant activities in south Kashmir and was mastermind behind last month’s IED blast in Bijbehara, Anantnag.
Police identified him as Latif Ahmed Dar alias Massod Saini and arrested him from Litter area of district Pulwama and recovered arms and ammunition from his possession.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Pulwama, Amit Kumar, said that an AK-47 rifle, 3 AK magazines, one pistol, one grenade, more than 100 kilogrammes of RDX, over 1100 PCBs, circuit wires, chargers and triggers were recovered from his possession.
The SP said that the militant commander was mastermind behind the attacks in south Kashmir. He said that the commander was supplying IED material to the militants for making IEDs.
Inspector General of Police (IGP), S M Sahai, described his arrest as a major breakthrough against militancy in south Kashmir where he was operating for past over 4 years.
While giving details the IGP said that on specific information about movement of militants in Litter area in district Pulwama was received by Police Component Litter last night.
The IGP said that at 8 p.m., a naka was established on Main Road at Ladermad, Pulwama, soon after the information was received. “At about 8:30 p.m. one Alto Car bearing registration No. JK03A/3804 which was coming from village Kulpora, Pulwama, was intercepted by the police Party and the passengers inside the vehicle were asked to come down”, he added.
The IGP said that the driver of the vehicle, Sajad Ahmed Bhat son of Abdul Rashid resident of Ladermad came down while as the other one made an attempt to escape from the scene.
He said that the police party made a courageous effort and nabbed him on the main road. He identified the militant as Latif Ahmed Dar alias Massod Saini as divisional commander of Hizbul Mujahideen son of Ghulam Hassan Dar of Panjgam Pulwama.
The IGP Kashmir said that the divisional commander was active in the south Kashmir since 2008 and was involved in many militancy related incidents especially in recent IED blast which took place at Bijbehara last month. A case in this blast is registered (FIR No. 79/2012 U/S 420, 120 B, 307, 305 RPC, 3 PSS Act) in Police Station Bijbehara.
The IGP said that the militant was also involved in the killing of one released militant Showkat Ahmed Rather son of Mohammad Abdullah resident of Gravgund as well as threatening to Panchs and Sarpanchs of the area.
“During questioning, the militant commander confessed about plans of IED blasts also. On his instance, more than 100 Kgs of RDX and detonators were recovered at village Gulzarpora Awantipora”, the IGP added.
The Hizbul Mujahideen is the second largest militant outfit operating in south Kashmir after Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). According to reports there are around 15 active militants of HM operating in the area. However, HM and LeT are operating jointly in south Kashmir.

Council confirms the legislations are dead
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 21: In a significant development, the Legislative Council has formally confirmed that three major bills—one pertaining to setting up of three Universities in the State and two for charging Property Tax and establishment of a Property Board have lapsed in the Upper House but two of them have come back again from the Assembly and were sent to the Joint Select Committee.
Top official sources confirmed that a significant bill, which had triggered massive protests in the Assembly from both ruling National Conference and opposition, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which sought to establish three Universities in the State, has lapsed.
“The bill has lapsed. It is dead. It is no more alive. It’s gone now’’, sources said, adding if the Government or the private members of the Assembly wanted to pass the bill, they would have to come up again with the legislation from the Lower House.
The bill, which has lapsed, proposed to set up three Universities in the State including Trans World Muslim University sponsored by Jamiat-e-Alia Hadees, Sheikh ul Alam University, sponsored by another sect of Muslims and Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa University.
The Legislative Assembly had passed the bill in its autumn session in Srinagar on October 9, 2010. National Conference MLA from Kupwara, Saifullah Mir was mover of the bills.
The Legislative Council had taken up the bills on October 12, 2010. The majority in the Upper House including Congress members, who were coalition partner in National Conference headed Government, didn’t endorse the bill and wanted them to be referred to the Joint Select Committee.
The House had by a majority view agreed to send the bills to the JSC.
According to sources, the then Presiding Officer of the Legislative Council (former Deputy Chairman Arvinder Singh Micky), had written to Legislative Assembly Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone seeking names of MLAs for induction in the JSC. The Speaker had given two names.
However, the Joint Select Committee was not constituted on the bill.
Sources said new Legislative Council Chairman, Amrit Malhotra like Arvinder Singh Micky had refused to nominate the JSC. Under rules, the bills get lapsed if the Legislative Council didn’t pass it within a specified time frame after the approval of Lower House.
“The time period has lapsed and so was the fate of bills, which had generated a lot of heat in the Legislative Assembly during budget session especially on April 3 when ruling National Conference and opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had unanimously created massive uproar over the bill’’, sources said.
Though the Speaker had on April 3 maintained that the bill was alive, the very next day he said he would take up the issue with the Legislative Council Chairman.
Highly placed sources in the Legislative Council Secretariat confirmed that the bill was dead and not alive. They said the Legislative Assembly had to pass the bill once again if the issue of the Universities was to be revived. However, the problem was that the Congress, the main coalition partner in the Government, was now opposed to the bill though it had supported it in October 2010.
Congress sources admitted that their Legislative Assembly members had passed the bill in 2010 as “out of sight’’. But it was in the Legislative Council that one of the MLC objected to it and got it blocked by proposing that the bill should be referred to the JSC. It was then allowed to die with the help of the Presiding Officers of the Upper House, who refused to nominate members to the JSC.
According to sources, two bills proposing levy of property tax on the people and setting up of Property Tax Board, which were part of reforms in Housing and Urban Development sector to secure Central grants under Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), which were approved by the Assembly during 2011 budget session, have also lapsed.
These bills also lapsed as the Presiding Officers didn’t set up the JSC fearing that imposition of property tax on the people would mar electoral prospectus of the Congress in future.
However, as the grants under JNNURM were not being released by the Centre, the Housing and Urban Development Department realized that the bills passed by the Assembly have lapsed and they got it approved again from the Lower House on last day of budget session on April 4.
But the Upper House again stalled the bills the very same day when they came up in the Council for approval. The House had approved that the bills should be sent to the JSC.
This time, however, the Legislative Council has timely constituted the JSC making Deputy Chief Minister, Tara Chand, Incharge Housing and Urban Development Department to whose Ministry the bills pertained, as chairman of the JSC.
Worthwhile to mention here that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said on floor of the Lower House just few days before the property tax and Property Board bills were passed for the second time that there was no other option but to pass these bills and take up other reforms in lieu of JNNURM grants running in to about Rs 700 crores, which have been stalled by the Centre in the absence of requisite reforms.