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Srinagar Jun 19 (UNI) Militants today planted two powerful liquid Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) near the main gate of a park where former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayed was scheduled to address a public meeting.

Jammu and Kashmir police however detected and later defused both the IEDs without causing any damage. The meeting was later postponed.

A senior police officer said that specific information was received that militants were planning to plant an IED near the venue of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) public meeting at Dara-Shikwoh Garden.

He said a massive search was launched in the entire area by the police early this morning. During the operation, two IEDs were found.

People, including children, were immediately shifted to safer places and the entire area was sealed.

Later, the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) was summoned and the IEDs were defused without causing any incident.

A police press release issued here this evening said the meeting was however, postponed later.

Militant outfits in Kashmir are still recruiting innocent youths for receiving arms training in the valley, according to a youth who was recently recruited by Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) for receiving arms training, a defence ministry spokesman said.

The spokesman said the troops of 44 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and Jammu and Kashmir police launched a joint operation at Nangsar, about six km from north of Hirpur, Pulwama last evening, after receiving a tip off that Fayaz Shah alias Pir, responsible for recruiting youths, was present in the area alongwith two youths.

He said during the operation, troops observed suspicious movement. When asked to identify themselves, they tried to escape on horses.

One of them, identified as Muzzafar Ahmed Mir, a resident of Drabgam Pulwama was apprehended.

Mir admitted of being a new Hizb recruit and said Pir was taking him for arms training in a forest.

However, a police spokesman said Mir was an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of HM.

An official spokesman said unidentified persons today lobbed a hand grenade towards the house of Zahoor Ahmad, a militant of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) at Palhalan Pattan this morning. However, it exploded in the compound without causing any damage.

Militants shot at and wounded a Special Police Officer (SPO) Mohammad Rafi at Gandhali Reasi. He was hospitalised.

Security forces unearthed three hideouts and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition including two AK rifles, four magzines, 62 rounds of ammunition, one pistol, one pen pistol with 15 rounds, four hand grenades, two IEDs, one IED remote, one wireless set, one anti personnel mine and one hand grenade at Poonch, Doda and Gulmarg. However, no one was arrested.

UNI