NEWSPAPER EDITOR GUNNED DOWN

Senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari, editor-in-chief of the Srinagar-based daily newspaper ‘Rising Kashmir’, was shot dead in the state Capital on Thursday evening.

He was attacked when he had just stepped out of his office in Press Colony in the city. He was reportedly hit by multiple bullets fired at close range. A security guard protecting him and his driver were also shot. One of them has died as well.

This is the first attack on a journalist in a long time in Kashmir and has shaken the entire fraternity.

Shujaat Bukhari was given police protection after an attack on him in 2000. He was instrumental in organising several conferences for peace in the Kashmir valley. He was also part of the Track II process with Pakistan. Bukhari had earlier worked with The Hindu newspaper as its Kashmir correspondent.

The attack took place hours after Home Minister Rajnath Singh held a security review meeting for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage that starts later this month.

Sources say Rajnath Singh's peace initiative in Kashmir – the current ceasefire -- may not extend beyond Ramzan, which is expected to end with Eid on Friday. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, too, had indicated that the offer was only for Eid. Data collected by the home ministry indicates that terror-related incidents in the Kashmir valley have increased by more than 100 percent during Ramzan.