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Sheshnag attack was handiwork of
lone Lashkar militant: Saxena

Jammu and Kashmir Governor G C Saxena on Thursday revealed that the July 21 attack on Amarnath yatris at Sheshnag was the handiwork of a single Lashkar-e-Tayiba militant.

He expressed unhappiness over the incident, which occurred despite the stringent security measures put in place.

Saxena admitted that the state administration had anticipated a spurt in militant activity in the state, particularly in the Kashmir valley, following the failure of the summit level meeting between Prime Minister A B Vajpayee and Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

"We had prepared to meet the challenge, but some incidents do take place despite the best efforts of the security forces," he said.

"Initially, we thought that the Sheshnag incident was the handiwork of two militants. But later investigations revealed that the entire incident was the work of one Lashkar-e-Tayiba militant who was killed by the security forces," he said.

"I was one of those who reached the place within hours of the incident and had read the note found on the militant," Governor Saxena added.

"When you have 46 kilometres of hills all around you, one odd determined militant can do a lot of damage because you cannot man every inch of land," he said.

He promised major improvements in the arrangements for the coming year.

"We had recently formed the Amarnath Trust to manage the yatra. However, it could not do much due to paucity of time. But we are making some major improvements at various levels to ensure fewer hiccups next year," he said.

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