Three gunfights in three districts of Kashmir on Saturday killed three militants and injured four security personnel, prompting Farooq Abdullah to allege a domestic conspiracy to destabilise son Omar Abdullah’s government.

The chief of the ruling National Conference asked why the attacks had surged just when an elected government had assumed power, hinted at “agency” involvement and demanded an “independent inquiry”.

Farooq ruled out any Pakistani role in the violence. The local BJP rebutted him, blaming Pakistan.

The National Conference government’s fortnight in power has witnessed a dramatic surge in militancy in the Kashmir region, with many questioning the timing ofthe violence.

The gunfight in the Srinagar locality of Khanyar came after months of calm in the city. Plumes of smoke billowed from a house that apparently caught fire during the hours-long gunfight, which began early on Saturday. The residents of the congested locality had been asked to leave the area for their safety.

Kashmir inspector-general of police V.K. Birdhi said Usman Lashkari, a Lashkar militant allegedly involved in several attacks, including the murder of a police inspector, was killed in the Srinagar gunfight. Two CRPF men and two policemen were injured but stable.

The forces blocked the 9km Dalgate-Hazratbal road, forcing detours that set off traffic snarls in the city.

In Shangus, south Kashmir, security forces gunned down two militants who were hiding in a forest. The police said a third operation was under way in Bandipore, where an exchange of fire had broken out on Friday evening.

Under Jammu and Kashmir’s hybrid system of governance, the elected government has no role in security issues. Still, many in the country have linked the surge in violence to the return of limited democracy to the Union Territory.

Around a half-dozen attacks and three gunfights in the Valley since Omar’s October 16 swearing-in have left 15 people dead and many injured. On Friday, militants shot and injured two migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh in a village in Budgam.

Farooq, who recently blamed Pakistan for these attacks, on Saturday absolved the neighbouring country.

“There should be an investigation. How is it that a government has come and these things are happening? I suspect it is the doing of those who want to destabilise this government. Why was it not happening before? Why today?” Farooq told the news agency ANI.

He said the militants engaged in the Srinagar gunfight should not be killed but arrested and interrogated so that they spilled the beans about who was behind the attacks.

“There should be an independent inquiry. There is an effort to create a crisis. If they are caught, it will be clear who is doing it,” he said.

Asked about Pakistan’s possible involvement, Farooq ruled it out and suggested that an “agency” could be involved.

“No question of Pakistan…. There should be an investigation. Is there any agency who wants to destabilise Omar Abdullah’s government?” he said.

“There is no militancy here. It was not here. Where has it come from? There is normalcy. People are moving around as usual.”

Farooq expressed concern about the attacks but suggested that any plans to destabilise the government “won’t succeed”.

Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina criticised Farooq, saying Pakistan was behind the militancy and there was no need to investigate the involvement of any other agency.