Indian Kashmir's new leader pledges normalcy

SRINAGAR, Thursday (AFP) - Indian-ruled Kashmir's new leader Ghulam Nabi Azad vowed to restore normalcy to the revolt-wracked state, hours after a car bomb explosion killed six people and wounded 18.

An Islamic militant group claimed responsibility for the attack on the outskirts of Srinagar, the summer capital of the disputed Himalayan state, calling it a "first gift" to Azad, who was sworn in hours after the blast.

"I pledge to bring normalcy in the state," said Azad after he was sworn in as Indian Kashmir's 10th chief minister.

"The peace process will have to continue, and people will have to be provided corruption-free government," he said at a heavily-guarded venue in Srinagar.

Meanwhile Police said the suicide bomber and five others were killed and 18 wounded in the attack on the outskirts of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, just hours before the swearing-in of the region's new chief minister.

Police in New Delhi, meanwhile, identified one of the chief suspects in Saturday's series of blasts as a man around 22 years old and 1.67 metres (five feet five inches) tall.

Police hope that tracking down the bus bomber will help them catch others behind the blasts that also brought carnage to New Delhi's popular Sarojini Nagar and Paharganj markets ahead of the Hindu festival Diwali.