Indian paramilitary soldier killed in Kashmir

By Hilal Mir

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA): An Indian paramilitary soldier was killed by Kashmiri militants in Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday, an official said.

Head constable Shiv Lal Netam, posted with India's paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), was fatally shot in southern Anantnag district, spokesman for the force Pankaj Singh, told Anadolu Agency.

On Sunday, five army soldiers and as many Kashmiri militants were killed in a gunfight in Kupwara district, an army spokesman said.

The militants were trying to cross the Line of Control (LOC), a de facto border which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan, when the gun battle ensued, army spokesman Col. Rajesh Kalia had said.

While one soldier had died on the spot, the rest succumbed at hospital later.

Pakistan army rejected the Indian claims, calling it New Delhi's attempt to divert international attention from the humanitarian crisis in the disputed region.

Jammu and Kashmir is held by India and Pakistan in parts, and claimed by both in full. A small sliver is also held by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought four wars -- in 1948, 1965, 1971 and 1999 -- three of them over Kashmir.

Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.