Srinagar, March 21 :     Timing a terror sweep with Bill Clinton's visit, gunmen lined up and shot dead 36 Sikh villagers in southern Kashmir late last night. Clinton expressed 'outrage' at 'the brutal attack in Kashmir', and said it highlighted 'the tremendous suffering this conflict has caused India. The violence must end,' he said. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee described the massacre of Sikhs - the first in Kashmir - as an act of 'ethnic cleansing'. Vajpayee alleged that there was a 'deliberate design' to foment killings and mass murders to sabotage any attempt to restore normality in Kashmir. 'I hope this question will be discussed by the President in Islamabad,' he said, prompting Clinton to reply that he 'will' take up the issue of cross-border terrorism with Pakistani leaders. National security adviser Brajesh Mishra blamed the Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen for the attack. 'These outfits are supported by the government of Pakistan,' Mishra said, adding that India had evidence pointing to these groups. Pakistan 'condemned' the killings and demanded a probe, voicing fears that India might exploit the incident for propaganda. Police said the group of around 50 militants swooped down on Chati Singhpora village in Anantnag, 68 km from here, and forced the residents into the road in two groups. They segregated the men from the women, announcing that they were carrying out a 'crackdown'. The gunmen, wearing combat uniforms, opened fire on the men, killing 34 of them and seriously wounding three who were shifted to a hospital in Anantnag. Two of them succumbed to wounds there. A woman, identified as Virender Kaur, died due to shock after seeing the bodies, police said. Nanak Singh, writhing in pain at the Bone and Joint Hospital here, said the AK47-wielding militants attacked the village of 250 Sikh families shortly after 10 pm. Singh had just finished evening prayers and was about to leave the gurdwara when he was stopped by a band of masked gunmen. 'I, along with other villagers, was stopped and they started asking questions and checking identity cards. A few of them entered nearby houses and asked the Sikh villagers to come out,' he said. 'Suddenly, the gunmen started firing. I saw my fellow Sikhs lying in a pool of blood. I was struck in the leg; I tried to flee but couldn't and fainted.' Nanak was carried to a hospital in Anantnag, but he had to be brought here after his condition deteriorated. Naseeb Singh, accompanying Nanak, said the militants later went to Samadhal hall, another gurdwara, and dragged out the devotees before shooting them from point-blank range. The killings sparked sporadic violence in Jammu, forcing the administration to clamp a curfew this afternoon. BSF camp attack In the evening, two militants stormed a BSF camp in Srinagar, exploding grenades and firing at random. The stand-off was continuing at 11 pm.