Earlier today, Sharif expressed deep shock over the killing of Wani and other civilians and condemned the “excessive and unlawful” use of force against people in Indian-administered Kashmir.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, having just returned from a four-nation tour in Africa, called a high-level government meeting to discuss how to calm the region and restore peace.
More than 200 other people have been injured in the clashes, in which government forces have fired live rounds and tear gas.
Curfew-like restrictions were clamped over the state of Jammu and Kashmir for the fourth consecutive day on July 12 following angry protests over the killing of a terrorist on July 8. Sources said the clashes and protests also erupted at multiple places in curfew-bound south Kashmir districts of Shopian, Pulwama and Anantnag.
Most of the separatist leaders, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, are either in custody or house arrest.
US State Department Spokesperson John Kirby voiced concerns over the ongoing violence in the Indian-held Kashmir, where Indian troops killed at least 30 locals. Eight more people died in the last 24 hours taking the death toll to 25, including two policemen. Indian authorities had said Monday they sent at least 2,000 more law enforcement troops to the mountainous region, where hundreds of thousands already are deployed permanently.
And for the first time, police opened fire hitting two civilians in embattled Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s hometown Bijbehara in southern Kashmir, which has accounted for all the deaths bar one since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by security forces on Friday. Acknowledging Pakistan’s statement on the current situation in the valley, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) responded saying that, Islamabad’s statement reflected their attachment to terrorism. Police said protesters attacked and burned scores of police and paramilitary posts, and that some homes of pro-India politicians were burned.
21-year-old Burhan, who shot to fame after his videos asking youth in Kashmir to join militancy appeared on social media, was cornered in Bumdoora village of Kokernag Friday morning by a joint team of police and Army.
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Condemning the brutalities of Indian forces, Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said that Kashmiris were struggling for their right to self-determination through a peaceful and indigenous freedom movement.
