Srinagar: Two photographs of a militant commander's eight-year-old daughter brandishing an AK-47 surfaced on social media on Wednesday, sparking fears in the Valley that the rebels may have hit upon the idea as a ploy to attract minors to their ranks.

Police said the still pictures, which have gone viral, were of the school-going daughter of a Hizbul commander from south Kashmir.

"It appears the girl is posing with the gun for fun but it could also be a militant ploy to attract underage boys or girls to their ranks," a police officer said, adding that an investigation was on.

The pictures show a pheran-clad girl wearing a hijab but without any mask.

Sources said the militant's family had gone to meet him in an orchard where the pictures were clicked. The pictures also show a lunchbox and utensils in the background, suggesting that food was served.

Militants have rarely employed girls or children but teenaged boys have been known to join their ranks. Some children have also taken part in pro- azadi protests, including throwing stones at security personnel.

One of the two militants who participated in last month's fidayeen (suicide) attack on a CRPF camp in south Kashmir was a 16-year-old boy, Fardeen Ahmad Khanday.

Videos that had earlier surfaced showed kids aspiring to become militants. In one such video, children who appeared to be between seven and 10 years old are heard saying they want to follow in the footsteps of Hizb rebels like Saddam Padder and Sameer Tiger and the Jaish-e-Mohammed's slain Fardeen. Another purported video shows kids brandishing toy guns and issuing threats to police officers.