Villagers standing on the debris of a house which was destroyed during a gunbattle between security forces and militants in Hakhri Pora in Pulwama District on Tuesday. | PTI 
India

J-K police approaches Pakistan high commission, asks to claim slain LeT militant Abu Dujana's body

This is the first time the authorities have approached Pakistan High Commission asking them to claim the body of any Pakistani national killed in anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir.

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SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir police approached the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi and asked them to claim the body of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) divisional commander Abu Dujana, killed by the security forces on Tuesday.

Munir Khan, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir told reporters on Tuesday that Pakistan High Commission has been approached to claim the body of Dujana, who belonged to Gilgit-Baltistan area in Pakistan administered part of Jammu and Kashmir.

This is for the first time the authorities have approached Pakistan High Commission asking them to claim the body of any Pakistani national killed in anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir.

"If they don't claim his body, we will give him a proper burial," the IGP said, adding the authorities wished Dujana's parents should see their son before burial and for that reason, Pakistan High Commission had been approached.

Police refused to hand over Dujana's body to the civilians for burial. The senior police officer said "there was no reason to hand over the body of somebody to locals who did not belong to the Kashmir Valley".

Meanwhile, hundreds of mourners attended the burial of the other LeT militant Arif Lalihaari killed on Tuesday with Abu Dujana in Hakripora village.

Arif was buried in his native Lalihaar village of Pulwama districton Tuesday evening.

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