Srinagar: A Pakistani militant was captured by a group of villagers on Wednesday, soon after he and another terrorist had ambushed a Border Security Force convoy along the highway connecting Jammu and Kashmir’s twin capitals of Srinagar and Jammu. Security officials here said he is a “prize catch”.
They added that the arrest of militant Usman Khan, alias Qasim, may not only unravel the relationship between the network of Pakistan-based militants and their local clique, but also help foil “the enemy’s designs on Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country”.
Comparisons are being drawn with Ajmal Kasab, the only Pakistani terrorist taken alive after the Mumbai 26/11 attacks. Two BSF troopers were killed and 11 were hurt in the attack on Wednesday. The terrorist taken alive on Wednesday claimed he was only 16 and first gave his first name as Qasim, but later said it was Usman. It was reported later he finally stated during sustained interrogation that he was actually Mohammed Naved Yakub, son of Mohammed Yakub and resident of Ghulam Mustafabad area in Faisalabad town of Pakistan. He said that his family includes two brothers and a sister. It was also reported that the other terrorist, who was slain, was named Noman, alias Momin.
The militant, soon after the deadly attack on the BSF convoy at Samruli, along the 294-km Srinagar-Jammu highway, raced into a nearby village where he took shelter in a school. There were no students or staff members present due to the shutdown in support of the demand for an AIIMS in Jammu region, officials said.
They added that the militant was captured and handed over to the police by the very people whom he had taken hostage in an attempt to escape from the scene of the attack.
He had assured the villagers that he would not harm them. After four hours, one of the villagers pinned him down and another took away his AK-47. He was then handed over to the police.
