India accuses Pakistan-based group for assault on Hindu pilgrims

Indian police blamed a Pakistan-based militant group on Sunday for last month's killing of eight Hindu pilgrims in the disputed Himalayan valley of Kashmir.

According to reports, Inspector General of Police Muneer Ahmed Khan told reporters in Anantnag district in Indian-controlled Kashmir that a probe had concluded that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Kashmiri accomplices were behind the July 10 attack.

"Lashkar was involved and the accused have been identified," Khan said, adding, “Once the investigation was started it was revealed that... a Pakistani militant of Lashkar along with two other militants and one local Kashmiri Lashkar militant carried out the attack."

Elsewhere in his remarks, the police official said the militants had carefully plotted to attack any police or tourist vehicle that crossed their path on the evening of the assault. "They had kept separate code words for tourist and CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) vehicles... It was purely an act of terrorism carried out with an aim to spread fear."

The assault saw militants open fire on a bus transporting Hindus on the annual Amarnath pilgrimage.

Indian security sources said three others who provided logistical support to the militants, including hiding places and vehicles, had been arrested.

Rebel groups, including LeT, have for decades fought Indian troops deployed in Kashmir, demanding independence or a merger of the former Himalayan kingdom with Pakistan.

In 2000, gunmen fired on a group of Hindu pilgrims and killed more than 30 people including two police officers in the violence-hit region.

LeT has been blamed for a string of deadly attacks inside India, most notably the Mumbai massacre in November 2008.

SS