Militants using new modus operandi to kill targets: Ghulam Nabi Azad

Veteran Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday said militants in Jammu and Kashmir have adopted a new modus operandi of killing their targets by using pistols from close range, instead of grenades and landmines.

In this month so far, 11 civilians, including non-residents of Jammu and Kashmir, have been shot dead by militants in different parts of Kashmir.

"There seems to be a shift in the strategy of militants... earlier they would use grenades and landmines. Then they would eliminate their targets in cars... now we are in the fourth stage where they pass close to a civilian target and kill him," he told reporters.

Azad, who met workers from various parts of Kashmir at his residence here, said the people of the Valley are against the killing of innocent civilians.

"People of Kashmir are 10 times more against these killings than people elsewhere in the country," he said.

Azad said the purpose of his interactions was to ascertain the ground situation.

"I wanted to find out from our constituency workers whether militancy has increased or decreased and whether people want statehood or not, among other issues, " he said.

In August 2019, the Centre had abrogated the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.