Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

The 24-hour-long siege of a south Kashmir mosque ended on Tuesday evening with the sole militant surrendering before district authorities.

The militant, who was identified as Bashir Ahmed Ganai, had entered the mosque at Sheikhgund village in Anantnag district to evade arrest during a search operation.

The incident triggered panic among the people, most of whom fled the village.

The police chief of Anantnag district, Ghulam Hassan Bhat, who supervised the operation, used the services of village elders to negotiate with Ganai.

Sources said the police made repeated announcements on a public address system asking the militant to come out.

"The militant, who belongs to the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, came out and was arrested. One AK-47 rifle was recovered from him," said a police officer in Anantnag.