09 May 2004	Sunday	18 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

MUZAFFARABAD, May 8: A pedestrian and two members of a Kashmiri militant group were killed while five others suffered critical wounds in a road accident here on Saturday, police and witnesses said.

The accident occurred at the busy Bank Square when the driver of the over-speeding pickup, belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen, suddenly applied brakes after seeing a motorcycle that appeared on the main road from a roadside official building.

Resultantly, the vehicle turned turtle hitting the motorcycle forcefully, which was nearly smashed. The overturned vehicle rolled some 150 yards on the road, critically wounding pedestrian Mohammad Shakil (resident of Muzaffarabad) who later perished in the Combined Military Hospital.

Of the five people on board the vehicle, Mohammad Usman died on the spot and Mohammad Saleem succumbed to his wounds in the CMH.

The rest, identified as Babar Abdullah, Muddasir and Farooq (driver), were critically wounded and admitted to the CMH. Their condition was stated to be out of danger.

Those riding the motorcycle were identified as Kashif Azad and Basit (employees of the Azad Kashmir Logging and Sawmills Corporation). They were removed to Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences, where their condition was also stated to be out of danger.

The funeral prayers of the dead, which were offered here, were attended by a large number of people, including Hizbul Mujahideen supreme commander Syed Salahuddin.