14 Islamic militants shot dead by Indian troops

INDIAN troops have shot dead 14 Islamic militants in clashes across Indian-administered Kashmir while suspected rebels killed four civilians, officials said.

The death toll is the highest since the foreign ministers of nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan met for the first time in three years and pledged to take forward the fragile peace process.

The two countries have fought two of their three wars over the control of the region, which both hold in part but claim in full.

Five militants were killed when the army raided a suspected hideout in the south-western Poonch district on Saturday, a defence ministry spokesman said.

A police spokesman said six more rebels were shot dead in three gunbattles on Sunday in the northern Baramulla district, while another was killed on Saturday near Qazigund, 80km south of the summer capital Srinagar.

Two more rebels were shot dead in the northern Kupwara district over the weekend by Indian troops seeking hiding militants, police said. Troops seized arms and ammunition after each of the clashes, the officials said.

Police said suspected rebels killed three Muslims and a Hindu in the southern districts of Poonch, Rajouri and Doda over the weekend.

None of the dozen rebel groups fighting against India claimed responsibility for the four dead civilians.

Meanwhile, India yesterday eased visa restrictions on Pakistani doctors, academicians and journalists ahead of a meeting between leaders of the two nations in New York during the week. “These are unilateral measures taken by the government of India to promote people-to-people contacts with Pakistan. Naturally, we hope that the government of Pakistan would also be able to take similar measures,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters.

The announcement comes less than two weeks after the rival neighbours agreed to allow each other’s citizens to travel between the two countries as tourists.