From correspondents in Jammu and Kashmir, India, 04:30 PM IST

Yasin Malik, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was hospitalised Thursday after his health deteriorated following an indefinite fast.

Malik had started the fast Tuesday against, what he said, the 'economic blockade' of the Kashmir valley by Jammu agitators who have been protesting the cancellation of land transfer to a Hindu shrine board.

The JKLF chairman's condition worsened and he was admitted to the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) here, where doctors said he was stable.

'His blood pressure had fallen and we have given him intravenous medicines,' said Khurshid Iqbal, the cardiologist treating Malik at the hospital.

'He is still refusing any oral feeding, but we are trying to persuade him so that his condition improves further,' Iqbal said.

Many separatist leaders visited the hospital to enquire about Malik's health.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)