Clues found in killing of Muslim cleric in Friday's blast

Srinagar (PTI) - Chief Minister of north Indian
state of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah Monday said some
clues have been found in the killing of a prominent religious
leader Moulvi Showkat Ahmad Shah in a bomb blast outside a
mosque here in the state capital.
"It will be premature to comment on the issue but we
have received some tips about which way investigation should
be taken," he said.
The chief minister was talking to reporters during a
visit to Asia's largest Tulip Garden on the banks of Dal Lake.
The Jamiat-e-Ahlihadith chief and close associate of
Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik was
killed when a bomb planted on a bicycle was triggered outside
a mosque in Srinagar's Maisuma locality minutes before Friday
prayers last week.
Omar described as a "big statement" JAH's stand delinking
itself from shutdowns in the wake of the killing.
"JAH's recent statement where it has delinked itself from
strikes and demanded action against the people involved in
Shah's killing is a big (positive) statement. We too want that
guilty should be brought to book," he said.
The Chief Minister said apart from some pockets, the
region has seen a decline in militancy related incidents.
He said militancy was still alive in Sopore, Tral and
some belts of Handwara and Kupwara in the Valley.
On the issuance of Dogra certificate, he said Centre's
order on relaxations for recruitment in paramilitary forces
was unfortunate as Kashmir and Ladakh were treated as
geographical entities, while Jammu was mentioned as an ethnic
community.
"The Union Home Ministry while asking for recruitment for
paramilitary forces had listed relaxation for Kashmiris and
Ladakhis on geographical grounds but named Dogras of Jammu
region under ethnic category," he said.
The chief minister said the matter was to be taken up in
the state cabinet but refused to elaborate.
However, sources said the state government was likely to
approach the Union Home Ministry to amend the order and give
relaxation to people from Jammu and Kashmir rather than
classifying people region-wise.
Meanwhile, the Centre feels that the murder was carried
out following directives from across the border and it was an
attempt to silence moderate voices in the state.
Government sources said in the Indian capital Delhi that
the killing of 55-year-old cleric was a major set back to the
efforts in restoring normalcy in the state as he was a vocal
opponent of violence and had termed last year's stone-pelting
protests as un-Islamic.