Srinagar: A militants' plan to target politicians in and outside Jammu and Kashmir, including PDP (People's Democratic Party) chief Mehbooba Mufti and Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, ahead of Parliamentary elections was scuttled when Army gunned down a self-styled divisional commander of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit on the outskirts of Srinagar, a senior Army officer said today (Apr 14).

The militant Bashir Ahmad Khan alias Abu Kashan, a resident of Sargoda in Pakistan, was killed in an encounter by the troops of II Rashtriya Rifles at Shaliteng bund near local unit of HMT in Zainakote area last night (Apr 13), Brigadier A K Choudhary told reporters.

Terming his killing as a major success, Choudhary said Kashan was heading a three-member suicide squad and had sneaked into the city a month ago to target politicians, including Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and NC (National Conference) president Omar Abdullah.

Hurriyat Conference Chairman Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari, who has held two rounds of talks with Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on Kashmir issue and Finance Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beig, who survived an attack last week during an election rally at Uri, were also on the hit list of the squad, the Army officer said.

He said a diary recovered from the possession of the slain militant revealed that the militant, before sneaking into the Valley, was camping in Jammu and was functioning as the commander for South India of the outfit.

As per the dairy, the militant had visited Race-Course, Pragati Maidan, Gurgoan and Noida to carry out surveillance of the areas which houses sensitive installations, including Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's residence.