Policeman, wife fatally shot in Kashmir

By Hilal Mir

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) - A policeman and his wife were shot dead by suspected militants in Indian-administered Kashmir on Sunday night, police said.

The couple's daughter, who was injured in the firing, was hospitalized.

In a statement, the police said that the gunmen "barged into the house of" special police officer Fayaz Ahmad of Hariparigam village in Awantipora area of southern Pulwama district and "fired indiscriminately".

The statement said Ahmad succumbed to his injuries and his wife, Raja Begum, died of gunshot wounds at a hospital. The condition of their daughter, Rafiya, is critical, according to hospital authorities.

The police said the area was cordoned off before searches were launched for the attackers.

This was the fourth attack on police officers since June 12 in Kashmir Valley.

On June 22, an inspector of the police's Criminal Investigation Department was fatally shot by two men from a very close range on the outskirts of capital Srinagar. CCTV footage of the attack went viral on social media.

On June 17, a police officer named Javaid Ahmad was killed in firing by suspected militants near his home in Saidapora, Srinagar. Police said the deceased was home on leave.

On June 12, two police officers were killed and at least three others injured when militants opened fire at them in the northern town of Sopore. Local residents had accused the police of killing two local civilians in retaliatory firing.

- Disputed region

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, New Delhi and Islamabad have fought three wars – in 1948, 1965, and 1971 – two of them over Kashmir. Also, in Siachen glacier in northern Kashmir, Indian and Pakistani troops have fought intermittently since 1984.

A cease-fire took effect in 2003. Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.

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