The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday said the three militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), including the two killed overnight encounter here, were ordered by their Pakistan-based handlers to target the upcoming Amarnath Yatra.
The 43-day Amarnath Yatra will commence on June 30.
Police said a Pakistani and a local militant of LeT, Adil Hussain Mir of Pahalgam in Anantnag, were killed in an intelligence-based operation in Bemina area of Srinagar on Monday night. A policeman was wounded during the encounter.
The two, the police said, were part of the same group that had escaped on June 6 from a forest area of Sopore during a gun battle that had left Hanzalla of Lahore dead.
Police said the three — two Pakistanis and a local who had been in Pakistan since 2018 — had plotted an attack on the Yatra.
Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar said Adil had crossed over to Pakistan in 2018 from Wagah.
Two AK-47 rifles, 10 magazines, live rounds, Y-SMS device, Matrix sheet, Pakistani medicines and other incriminating material were recovered after the Srinagar fighting.
The Amarnath Yatra will be conducted physically after a gap of two years owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. The government is hopeful that this year’s pilgrimage will be much bigger and six to eight lakh pilgrims are expected to perform the annual yatra.
