Three insurgents and a policeman were killed in clashes in Indian Kashmir

Srinagar (India), May 25 (EFE) .- Three insurgents of Pakistani descent and a policeman were killed in a clash with Indian Kashmir security forces on Wednesday, just hours before the court handed down the terror sentence against Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik. .

“Three Pakistani terrorists were killed and one police officer was killed in the clash,” Kashmir Police Inspector General Vijay Kumar said in a statement.

According to Indian officials, the clash took place in the northern part of Giri in the Baramulla district, and coincides with an increase in attacks against insurgents in the disputed region earlier this year.

At least 62 insurgents, including 15 foreigners, have been killed in the first four months of this year, compared to 37 insurgents killed in the same period of 2021.

Despite police sources calling its “victory” against the insurgency “excellent intelligence”, New Delhi has come under criticism for turning one of the world’s most militarized regions into a surveillance state since it regained its semi-autonomous status in 2019.

Pakistan has been demanding full sovereignty over Kashmir since independence from the British Empire after the secession of the subcontinent in 1947, while India accuses its neighbor of supporting terrorist attacks in the Indian-controlled area, which has been plagued by separatist insurgency since 1990.

Today’s clashes are taking place in the wake of the strengthening of Indian security forces in Indian Kashmir as a special court in New Delhi is set to release the sentence against Yasin Malik, one of the most important leaders of the separatist movement. Week.

Malik and other separatist leaders who have pleaded guilty have been charged with various offenses related to terrorist activities.

“I am fighting for the independence of my country, Jammu and Kashmir, and our peaceful movement is legal and in accordance with local and international law. Malik told the anti-terrorism court.

He added that he would work for this purpose till my last breath.

Born in 1966, he was one of the pioneers of the armed struggle, but abandoned violence in 1994. Malik was one of hundreds of Kashmiri leaders and activists who were mostly detained after regaining semi-autonomous status in August 2019.

Numerous shops in various parts of Srinagar, the main city of Indian Kashmir, were closed on Wednesday in protest of the punishment, although traffic remained normal despite paramilitary forces, anonymous local sources told Efe. EFE

sa-daa / mt / pi

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