There was shooting on the streets of Srinagar this morning as hundreds of people defied a military curfew in an attempt to reach the body of a Kashmiri separatist leader who was killed yesterday as he led a massive pro-independence march.

Unconfirmed reports claimed that five people had been killed in confrontations with security forces in the towns of Baramulla and Sopare in the Kashmir Valley.

Sheik Abdul Aziz, a member of the Hurriyat Conference, an influential coalition of moderate separatist parties, was shot dead by police as about 100,000 Muslim Kashmiris made an unprecedented attempt to breach the border that splits the fiercely contested region between India and Pakistan.

Sheik Abdul Aziz's funeral, which should be held today according to Muslim tradition, is poised to inflame some of the worst violence to hit Kashmir since the eruption of an all-out insurgency in 1989.

Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, the Hurriyat head, who was under house arrest this morning, told The Times: "This was a targeted killing, an assassination. No water cannon were used to disperse the crowd, no rubber bullets. Blood was spilt by the authorities like water."

Two people were said to be injured this morning in skirmishes close to Srinagar's Jamia Masjid, the biggest mosque in the region, where Sheik Aziz's body was held. Hundreds of mourners had stayed with the body overnight chanting "we want freedom".

Mr Farooq and other Hurriyat leaders are demanding to be released from house arrest to take part in the burial, expected to take place in the Martyrs' Graveyard in downtown Srinagar this afternoon.

Mr Farooq said: "We must be allowed to attend the proper burial of our colleague."

Meanwhile, Pakistan last night voiced its concern over the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir and demanded immediate steps to address the situation.

"Reportedly, the movement of trucks to and from the [Kashmir] valley is being blocked. This has serious humanitarian implications," a statement said.

"Pakistan calls for immediate steps to address the situation and prevent the human rights violations in the Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir."

Yesterday's violence, which claimed five lives in total and left more than two hundred injured, came after fruit growers in the region moved to break a virtual siege on the Muslim-dominated Kashmir Valley by Hindu extremists who have blocked the only highway to the area.

The fruit growers were joined by masses of protestors – including many women and children -- in an attempt to reach markets in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan via a route that has been closed since Partition.

The current troubles were sparked in mid June. The state government rescinded a decision to gift about 100 acres of forest land to Amarnath, a Hindu cave shrine that hosts a revered stalagmite, to build shelters for pilgrims. The move, which followed violent demonstrations from Kashmir's Muslim majority, triggered counter-protests from Hindus.

In Delhi, Manmohan Singh, the Indian Prime Minister called for emergency talks to be held to try to make progress towards peace in Kashmir, where relations between Hindus and Muslims have worsened sharply in the past two months.

However, separatist leaders in the Kashmir Valley said they were not aware of any planned negotiations. Talks held between large national political parties last week failed to make progress.

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