NEW DELHI: Terming it as an interference in India’s internal affairs, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday said Pakistan should refrain from issuing statements on the recent unrest in India-held Kashmir
“We have seen statements from Pakistan on the situation in Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. They reflect Pakistan’s continued attachment to terrorism & its usage as an instrument of state policy,” reads the statement posted on Indian MEA spokesman Vikas Swarup’s Twitter profile.
Our response to Statements by Pakistan on Jammu & Kashmir:
The statement also asks Pakistan to stop interfering in the “internal affairs of its neighbours”.
Pakistan on Sunday condemned what it termed the ‘extra-judicial’ killing of separatist commander Burhan Wani by government forces in India-held Kashmir (IHK) as the death toll from clashes between Indian troops and protesters in the region rose to 30.
Foreign Office (FO) also expressed Pakistan’s concerns over the detention of Kashmiri leadership in IHK and called upon the Indian government to fulfill its human rights obligations as well as its commitments under United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.
Similar statements were issued by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other ministers and politicians.
Wani, the Hizbul Mujahideen chief of operations, was killed in fighting on Friday after Indian troops, acting on a tip, cordoned a forested village in the southern Kashmir’s Kokernag area, said Police Director-General K. Rajendra. Two other members of Wani’s group were also killed in the gun battle.
Indian authorities imposed an indefinite curfew in most parts of IHK after Wani was killed, but massive protests continued despite attempts to suppress violence.
Paramilitary troops and police in riot gear patrolled villages and towns in the region. Most shops were shuttered, businesses were closed and cellphone services were suspended.
