Leaders trade charges as elections picked up momentum

Political leaders in Kashmir traded charges as electioneering picked up in the disputed region on Thursday. People's Democratic Party's senior leader Tariq Hameed Qarra accused powerful National Conference leader Omar Abdullah of having links with a Hindu monk arrested for his alleged role in a wave of bomb attacks that have killed more than 200 people this year. Meanwhile, Omar Abdullah refuted the charges saying he was ready to face any probe.