14 June 2018•Update: 15 June 2018
By Zahid Rafiq
SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir
A senior Kashmiri journalist and editor was shot dead along with his security guard by unidentified gunmen on Thursday evening in Jammu and Kashmir’s capital city Srinagar.
Shujaat Bukhari, according to the media, was disembarking from his car along with two security guards when unidentified gunmen opened fire at the car. One of the guards was injured.
The murder took place at Press Enclave that houses all major newspapers of the region, according to local media.
Condemnations over Bukhari’s killing poured in from across the political divides in the region.
Bukhari was, reportedly, earlier attacked in 2000, after which he was provided with security by the state government.
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.
The two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- since they were partitioned in 1947, two of which were fought over Kashmir.
Also, in Siachen glacier in northern Kashmir, Indian and Pakistani troops have fought intermittently since 1984. A cease-fire came into 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 of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.
