SRINAGAR, Nov 5: Suspected rebels threw a grenade at a police patrol in held Kashmir on Friday, wounding eight people, police said. The attack in the picturesque town of Pahalgam came a day ahead of federal Home Minister Shivraj Patil's three-day tour to the troubled Himalayan region, his first visit there since India's new government came to power in May.

Four police officials and a tourist were among the wounded. Authorities say there has been a decline in separatist violence in Kashmir this year compared with 2003, largely due to a crackdown by troops.

The decline coincides with a peace process launched by India and Pakistan in 2003 to resolve a wide range of disputes, including Kashmir. -Reuters