A former sarpanch was killed and a tourist couple was injured in two separate militant attacks in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, The Hindu reported.

The police said that militants fired at the former sarpanch, Ajaz Ahmad Sheikh, at his home in Shopian’s Hurpora area. He later succumbed to his injuries.

Sheikh was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Sajid Yousuf Shah, the head of the BJP’s media department in Kashmir, said that the party firmly stands with his family, Greater Kashmir reported.

In the Anantnag district’s Yannar area, a woman named Farha and her husband Tabrez – both of whom hail from Jaipur – were injured in firing by militants on Saturday, the police said. The couple was reportedly attacked near the tourist destination of Pahalgam.

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Farha and Tabrez have been sent to a hospital, and the area where the attack took place has been cordoned off.

The attack near Pahalgam took place days before Lok Sabha elections in the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, scheduled for May 25. The seat was originally slated to go to polls on May 7, but the election was rescheduled on the grounds of logistical and communication-related difficulties.

On Saturday, Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti said: “While we condemn the attack in Pahalgam today that resulted in injuries to two tourists followed by another attack on a sarpanch in Hurpora, Shopian – the timing of these attacks given that the South election was delayed without any reason is a cause of concern. Especially keeping in mind normalcy claims touted by [the Centre].”

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah said that such acts of brutality constitute a serious impediment to achieving long-term peace in Jammu and Kashmir.

“[The two leaders] urged all communities to come together in these challenging times and support efforts towards lasting harmony,” the party said.