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Militants Vow Not to Strike At Crowded Places in Kashmir

By Fayaz Wani

The most formidable militant group in Kashmir, Hizbul Mujahideen has asserted that all the militant groups operating in the restive Kashmir Valley have vowed and decided against carrying out their activities in crowded places.

In a faxed-statement to a local news agency in the summer capital, Srinagar, Hizbul spokesperson, Ehsan Illahi said that all militant groups operating in Kashmir have unanimously decided not to carry out any strike in crowded places. "No militant activity would be carried in the crowded places to ensure that the civilians don't suffer any casualties or injuries", he said.

"The target of our attacks must only be the positions and men of Indian soldiers deployed in the restive state of Jammu and Kashmir", Hizbul spokesperson said.

It is pertinent to mention here that often the militant attacks on Indian security forces in crowded place cause civilian casualties. No militant group owns such attacks and blames the Indian intelligence agencies for carrying out the attacks in crowded places.

This is for the first time in the 19-year-old turmoil in Kashmir that all the militant groups operating in Kashmir have decided against carrying out strikes in busy areas and crowded places.

The Hizbul spokesperson further said that if the human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir do not come to end, the militant struggle would continue.

Fayaz Wani reports on life in Srinagar, Kashmir.