Politician, two militants killed in Kashmir violence

Nov 14, 2007, 10:51 GMT

Srinagar, Kashmir - A political leader was shot dead Wednesday by suspected Muslim militants while two rebels were killed by security forces in separate encounters in Indian-administered Kashmir, police said.

Militants fired at Ghulam Nabi Wani, who represented the opposition National Conference party in the municipal corporation of the state capital Srinagar, when he was returning from prayers at a mosque in the city.

'Wani suffered from bullet injuries on his body and head after he was shot outside his house in the Khanyar area,' police officer Syed Mujtaba said. 'He was moved to a local hospital where he succumbed to the injuries.'

The killing led to tension in the area. Additional police were deployed, and paramilitary forces began a search for the militants.

No militant group had claimed responsibility for the attack.

Wani's death was the second political killing in India-administered Kashmir this year.

In March, Jan Mohammed Kakroo, a district leader of the ruling Congress party, was killed by militants in the town of Baramulla, 50 kilometres north-west of Srinagar.

Meanwhile, security forces killed two separatist guerrillas in a gunbattle in the western district of Poonch later Wednesday, a defence spokesman told reporters.

Lieutenant Colonel SD Goswami said a joint police and army force had surrounded a group of militants and asked them to surrender but they opened fire, leading to the shootout.

More than 50,000 people - including civilians, militants and security forces - have been killed in Indian-administered Kashmir since a violent separatist movement peaked in the late 1980s.

India accuses neighbouring Pakistan of aiding and abetting militant activities in the territory it controls, a charge Pakistan denies. Pakistan says Kashmiri militants are freedom fighters.

The scenic Himalayan region has been at the root of tense relations between the South Asian neighbours since independence from British rule in 1947. India and Pakistan have fought two wars over Kashmir.