Five wounded in grenade attack in Kashmir

SRINAGAR (Reuters) - Five people were wounded when militants threw a grenade at a busy marketplace in Kashmir on Wednesday, police said, a day after four policemen were hurt in a string of similar explosions across the disputed region.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which come days after authorities announced the likely partial withdrawal of laws that give troops sweeping powers to search, arrest or shoot in the state following a sharp decline in violence.

The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA), which were implemented to tackle insurgency in the region, are likely to be withdrawn from some areas, chief minster Omar Abdullah said last week.

Police said suspected militants threw a grenade at a police patrol near a marketplace in Bijbehara in the south of the state on Wednesday.

"The grenade missed the target and exploded near a shop, injuring five civilians," Abdul Rashid, a police officer, said.

Four policemen were hurt on Tuesday in a string of grenade explosions, police said.

The violence comes after a period of relative calm in Kashmir where officials say nearly 50,000 people have been killed since a revolt against New Delhi's rule broke out in 1989.

Kashmir, claimed by both Pakistan and India but ruled by them only in part, has been the trigger for two of the three wars between the nuclear-armed countries.

(Reporting by Sheikh Mushtaq; Editing by Anurag Kotoky and Sugita Katyal)