Kashmiri leader held

SRINAGAR, AUG. 14. The Pakistani national flag was hoisted at several places in the Kashmir Valley today even as the Kashmir Mass Movement (KMM) leader, Ms. Fareeda Jan, who had given a call for celebrating Pakistan's Independence Day, was arrested around midnight yesterday.

Barely a few hours after her call for celebrating Pakistan Independence day, Ms. Fareeda Jan, founder of the KMM, a constituent of the Hurriyat Conference, was arrested from her Natipora residence around 12.30 p.m. last night, a police spokesman said today.

Police raided her house in uptown Srinagar and arrested her under Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities Act and lodged her in women's police station at Rambagh here, he said.

Terming her call as ``objectionable and anti-national'', he said the authorities registered a case against her for issuing a statement urging the people of Kashmir to hoist Pakistani flags and observing tomorrow as `black day' to mark India's Independence Day.

Ms. Fareeda had served a four-year sentence in different jails for her alleged involvement in a bomb blast in Delhi in 1996.

Meanwhile, amid stringent security arrangements, groups of youth made a dramatic appearance at Budshah Chowk in the heart of the city, hoisted the Pakistani flag at traffic police booth and fled despite a hot chase by police.

Reports reaching here from other district headquarters said Pakistani flags were seen hoisted at several places including munsif court and the Government Higher Secondary School at Dooru, Verinag, Mattan Chowk and Chattergul-Shangus in Anantnag district, Khanpora in Baramulla, Beerwah in Budgam and Tral in Pulwama district.

Reports also spoke of ``marchpast and armed parades'' held by militants at Kralpora-Lolab in the frontier district of Kupwara and Chhatergul-Shangus in Anantnag district. But the authorities neither confirmed nor denied the reports.

Tragedy averted

Police, meanwhile, averted a possible tragedy today with the timely detection of a powerful bomb planted by militants in the busy Lal Chowk area of Srinagar.

The bomb, weighing about 500 gms, was planted by militants inside a public urinal in the area, virtually sealed by the Border Security Force (BSF) for the last few days.

- PTI

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