SRINAGAR, 15 November 2007 — Suspected militants shot dead a political leader in Srinagar, capital of Indian Kashmir yesterday, police said.
Militants fired at Ghulam Nabi Wani, who represented the opposition National Conference party in the city’s Municipal Corporation, when he was returning after offering prayers at a mosque in Khanyar area.
“Wani suffered bullet injuries on his body and head after he was shot outside his house in the Khanyar area. He was moved to a local hospital where he succumbed to the injuries,” police officer Syed Mujtaba said.
The killing led to tension in the area. Additional police were deployed and paramilitary forces launched a search for the militants. No militant group had claimed responsibility for the attack.
This 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 kilometers northwest of Srinagar.
More than two dozens municipal councilors have been killed across Kashmir prompted many others to step down.
More than 50,000 people, including civilians, militants and security forces, have been killed in Indian-administered Kashmir since a separatist movement peaked in the late 1980s. Kashmiri groups put the toll at 80,000.
India accuses neighboring 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 neighbors since independence from British rule in 1947.
