One dies in attack on Kashmir liquor shop

One person has died and three others wounded after an unidentified gunman fired at a liquor shop in Srinagar, capital of Muslim-majority Kashmir region where a 23-year-old violence is slowly giving way to peace.
The incident took place at Hotel Heemal on the banks of Dal Lake which is peopled by tourists.
Mushtaq Ahmed, a resident of Aloochi Bagh, who worked at the alcohol shop died on the spot, a police official said.
The Hizbul Mujahideen militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, a local news agency, KNS, reported.
It said a caller who identified himself as Junaid-ul-Islam, spokesperson of the Hizb, said they had attacked the shop. He also appealed to parents to stop their children from “waywardness”.
Police are also investigating into the incident.
Liquor shops have rarely been attacked in Kashmir since 2004 when the Mufti Sayeed government re-opened a few liquor shops in Srinagar and other major towns of the valley, fifteen years after militants had ordered them to close down.
Separatist violence had showed a steady decline and militants’ hold over daily life had eased.
In 2005, members of the Dukhtaran-e-Millat or the Daughters of Faith tried to set fire to a shop selling wines and beer. They were sent to jail.
Officials say liquor sales have skyrocketed to nearly 500 lakh (50 million) bottles annually, which , they privately admit, is a sign that peace and normalcy is returning to Kashmir.

(Free Press Kashmir)