New Delhi: With Pakistan's bid to escalate Kashmir issue by eulogising Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, who was killed in Kashmir on Friday and later by summoning Indian High commissioner Gautam Bambawale to express "serious concern'' over the latest development in the valley, India has hit back and advised Islamabad "to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of its neighbours".
India's sharp rebuttal came amid Pak PM Nawaz Sharif's criticism of Wani’s killing whom he described Wani as a "Kashmiri leader".
Without naming Sharif, external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said the statements from Pakistan reflected the country’s “continued attachment to terrorism and its usage as an instrument of state policy”.
He added: “Pakistan is advised to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of its neighbours.”
There were similar reactions from ministers in the Narendra Modi government. Minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said Pakistan “should worry about human rights violations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir” since Kashmir is an “internal matter of India”.
Sharif 's office said in a statement that he had expressed deep shock at the "killing of Kashmiri leader Burhan Wani and many other civilians by the Indian military and paramilitary forces". The statement said it was "deplorable that excessive and unlawful force was used against civilians" protesting against Wani's killing. Sharif also called for a plebiscite in "occupied" Kashmir to let people decide if they wanted to be a part of India or Pakistan, IANS reported.
On Monday evening, Pakistan foreign secretary Aizaz Chaudhry called in Indian envoy Gautam Bambawale and expressed “serious concerns” over the “killings of Kashmiri leader Burhan Wani and many other civilians”. Chaudhry sought a “fair and transparent inquiry against individuals responsible for these killings”, said a statement from the Foreign Office.
In Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir today, terrorist Hafiz Saeed, who has plotted and executed some of India's deadliest terror attacks, held a rally eulogising Wani and warned publicly that "many more Burhan Wanis" will wage war against India. He shared the stage with another much-wanted man in India, Sayeed Salahuddin, also a leader of the Hizbul Mujahideen.
Saeed also said killing of Kashmiris and firing at their funeral was the "worst form of terror". "Kashmiris cannot be made slaves through use of force any more. We will continue to support them."
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