A key insurgent group says rebels and not Indian forces assassinated a prominent Muslim leader in Indian-ruled Kashmir in April.
Lashkar-e-Taiba said Thursday it initially thought Indian forces and institutions had killed Moulvi Showkat Ahmed Shah to weaken rebel groups in the disputed territory.
But the report said, “We had no idea that the killers would be within us.”
Shah headed the Jamiat-e-ahle Hadi religious group, and state police blamed his murder on factional rivalry.
One of the three people arrested was a Lashkar-e-Taiba member. Lashkar-e-Taiba blamed two of those arrested, but said none of its members was involved.
Nearly a dozen rebel groups have been fighting since 1989 for Kashmir’s independence from India or merger with Pakistan.
–Agencies