Pak national suspected to be behind Srinagar blast

Srinagar: A Pakistani national is suspected to be the mastermind of Saturday's improvised explosive device blast outside the Srinagar central jail.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information leading to his arrest.

According to the police, terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba are behind the incident for which the logistics was provided by Hizbul Mujahideen.

The IED was tied to a gas cylinder which was kept in a car parked nearly 30 meters from Srinagar central jail. The IED went off blowing up a police vehicle carrying undertrials back from a court.

"Around 6 pm militants triggered a car bomb and a police vehicle was targeted. This bus had come to drop undertrials at central jail and when it was returning the blast took place," said Srinagar DIG HK Lohia.

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Two policeman and a woman, who was returning home from a nearby shrine, were killed in the blast. Yaseen, who's barely 20, can't believe his mother is no more. Those injured in the blast are now in a hospital.

Sources say the blast was so intense that several houses were damaged due its impact. Sheikh Mushtaq, who lives close to the blast site, says he was working on his laptop when there was a deafening sound.

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"I immediately ran away, and outside I saw so many persons bathed in blood and dead bodies. I screamed for help from other persons. I told them it is the time to help somebody," said Mushtaq.

The attack comes at a time when there has been a sharp rise in infiltration from across the border. From January to July this year, 236 militants had already sneaked in, which is over 100 more than the whole of last year.

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And though militancy levels had gone down off late, the attack has shattered that relative calm.

A militant group called Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the blast, but police believe it's a joint effort by the Lashkar and Jaish-e-Muhammad.

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This is one of the major militant strikes in recent months in Srinagar city, and police says it is same Lashkar and Jaish module that killed two CRPF men in Srinagar last month is responsible for the attack.