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Militants were foreigners: Sayeed

Blaming Pakistan for continuing its policy of cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Monday said reports indicated that the two militants, who carried out Sunday night's attack on Raghunath temple, were foreigners.

In a statement in the state legislature, the chief minister said Pakistan-based militant outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba has claimed the responsibility for the attack.

There had been no let up in the militancy in the state except for a brief period after the assembly elections, the chief minister told the house.

Sayeed said this was mainly because pakistan was engaged in its own elections and consequent problems in the government formation.

Giving details of the attack, he said, 13 people, including two security jawans and two militants, were killed and 52 others injured when militants stormed the temple.

He said two militants appeared at Raghunath Mandir chowk. One of them forced entry into the temple complex and hurled grenades creating panic in the area.

The house witnessed pandemonium in the morning before his address.

Opposition National Conference members were on their feet demanding that the adjournment motion earlier given by Ali Mohammed Sagar and Ajay Sadhotra be taken up for discussion. The motion pertained to the temple attack.

Speaker Tara Chand, however, rejected the motion on the grounds that it should have been delivered to him an hour before the proceedings of the house began.

He also pointed out that more than one issue had been raised in the motion, which was not permissible.

He informed the house that the debate would follow the chief minister's statement on Sunday night's incident.

Not satisfied with the speaker's ruling, National Conference members argued that in view of the gravity of militant attacks, rules could be relaxed and discussion be allowed on the motion. The speaker still did not oblige.

The members then continued to raise slogans and disrupted the proceedings of the house for nearly 45 minutes.

They later staged a walkout from the house, only to return for the debate on the bill regarding establishment of accountability commission in the state.

PTI

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