Afp, Srinagar
Two apple truck drivers were shot dead and their vehicles set on fire in Indian-administered Kashmir, police said yesterday, in the latest attack on the vital local fruit industry which has been pulled into the conflict between militants and New Delhi.

Tensions have soared since New Delhi’s August decision to strip the autonomy of the disputed and restive Himalayan region and impose a security and communication lockdown.

The nearly $2-billion apple trade has been caught between militants wanting a shutdown of the local economy in protest at India’s actions, and New Delhi which wants to restore normality.

The two drivers, who were from outside Kashmir, died late Thursday in the southern Shopian district, a militant stronghold, after gunmen sprayed their vehicles with bullets, police said. A third driver was also injured.