The Kashmir valley has been on a boil since as widespread protests were carried out over Wani’s killing with many separatists’ calling for a shutdown.
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Hundreds of protesters tried to storm a Indian military airbase in Kashmir on Monday, the third day of deadly clashes between government forces and demonstrators angered by the killing of a popular young rebel.
Jammu and Kashmir Government has already sought cooperation from mainstream political parties and separatists besides parents to help restore normalcy in the valley, which is on the boil since the killing of top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) Burhan Wani and two other militants in an encounter in Kokernag area in Anantnag district on Friday evening. He said that “many more Burhan Wanis” will fight against India. An unidentified person was brought to district hospital Pulwama in a critical condition but succumbed to injuries, he said, adding efforts are on to ascertain his identity.
Kumar put the protestor death toll at 15, but a second officer, who asked to remain anonymous, said four more died on Sunday in clashes with security forces, raising the total number of deaths to 20.
The mobs set on fire police stations at Achabal and Damhal Hanjipora while a police post at Kund in Qazigung was also set ablaze.
“It is deplorable that excessive and unlawful force was used against the civilians who were protesting against the killing of Burhan Wani”, Sharif said in a statement. Handsome and media savvy, he was widely credited for reviving armed militancy in Indian Kashmir in recent years, using social media like Facebook to reach out to young Kashmiri men.
Wani joined the HM rebel group at the age of just 15 after his brother was allegedly tortured by government forces, and quickly became a rallying point for Kashmir’s youth.
On the other hand, Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Muhammad Yasin Malik, and many other Hurriyet leaders continued to remain in police custody or under house arrest.
“Oppressive measures such as these can not deter the valiant people of Jammu and Kashmir from their demand of exercising their right to self-determination in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions”, he said.
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Sharif also expressed concern over the detention of Kashmiri separatist leaders and said India should fulfil its human rights obligations as well as its commitments under the United Nations Security Council resolutions.
