NEW DELHI, Feb 2 (1993): Security forces have arrested one of the most wanted Moslem militants in Kashmir and the spokesman of another rebel group, newspapers reported Tuesday.
Federal border guards raided Monday a house in downtown Srinagar, summmer capital of the northern state, and caught Abdul Azia Dar, a “district commander” of the Hizb ul Mujahideen, the most powerful Kashmiri group.
Also Monday in Srinagar, security forces arrested Farooq Siddiquee, chief spokesman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), the oldest of several Moslem groups fighting to secede Kashmir from India.
The Statesman and other newspapers said the paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) swooped on Dar, a former taxi driver popularly known as “General Musa”, when he went to a friend’s house.
“The capture comes at a time when Dar was attempting to establish contact with other militant outfits so as to coordinate their activities,” the daily said.
The Hizb is violently pro-Pakistan and wants Kashmir to accede to Pakistan. The JKLF, its main rival, is fighting for an independent state of Kashmir.
