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| India-Pakistan |
| Gunnies shoot up Srinagar Times editor... |
| 2002-09-18 |
| Editor of a leading Urdu daily newspaper, Srinagar Times, Sofi Ghulam Muhammed, today escaped an attempt on his life when unidentified gunmen entered his house and opened fire, injuring him and his personal security officer. Sofi sustained a bullet injury in his hand and was rushed to the bone and joints hospital where his condition was described as stable. The gunnies hosed it. Good for Sofi! According to Sofi’s brother and noted cartoonist, Bashir Ahmad Bashir, three unidentified assailants armed with pistols approached the guards posted outside his residence-cum-office. While two of them stayed outside, one came in and sought to meet Sofi. On being refused entry, the gunmn went out and soon all the three entered the premises. "The moment one of them entered the chamber of Sofi and took an aim at him, Sofi tried to resist and in the process he received a gunshot on his hand," Bashir said. Fought the bastards, did he? Good man! The assailants opened fire on the PSO, Ali Mohammed, also causing injuries to his legs. On hearing three gunshot sounds, the family thought firing had taken place nearby. On coming out, they saw the gunmen running away. Sofi and his PSO were immediately rushed to the hospital. Bashir said Sofi was discharged late in the evening and was at his home. "How do I know what they looked like? I only saw their backs!" The editor has been targeted by gunmen several times in the past following which the government provided him security. The governor, G C Saxena, described the attack as "a dastardly act of militants aimed at intimidating the press for toeing their line instead of reporting and commenting fairly and objectively." He thanked God that the injury was not serious. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |