A non-local driver was shot at and injured by militants in south Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday.
A police official said that the militants fired upon the man in the Yader area of Pulwama. He was immediately shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment, where his condition is stated to be stable.
The injured person was identified as Sonu Sharma, son of Banarsi Dar, resident of Pathankot, Punjab. Reports said soon after the attack, the area was being cordoned off by the security forces to nab the attackers.
There has been a spurt in attacks on migrant workers in Kashmir, particularly in Pulwama district in the recent days. Atleast five migrant workers were injured in Pulwama in three separate attacks by the militants in Pulwama.
In October last year, several non-local labourers and street-vendors were killed by militants across Kashmir. Earlier in October 2019, 11 non-locals, including truckers, were killed in south Kashmir’s Anantnag, Kulgam and Shopian districts. The attacks had created a wave of fear and anger with outsiders fleeing Kashmir.
The migrant laborers constitute around 80 per cent of the work force required in constructions and development sectors in Kashmir.
Since the abrogation of J&K’s special status under Article 370 in August 2019, militants have intermittently targeted non-local labourers in Kashmir. Even last year in October, members of the minority community too were targeted.
The Resistance Front (TRF), believed to be an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit, which claimed responsibility for the previous killings have warned that everyone other than indigenous Kashmiris would be treated as “occupiers” if they purchase property in J&K.
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