Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday condemned "excessive and unwarranted" force by Indian security forces against Muslim protesters in the disputed territory of Kashmir. Qureshi's statement came as officials said that Indian security forces in the Himalayan region had shot dead at least 10 demonstrators on Tuesday and five on Monday, including a prominent separatist leader.
The scenic mountain region is split between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan, which both claim the region in full, and has caused two of their three wars since independence in 1947.
"The government of Pakistan condemns the excessive and unwarranted use of force against the people of Indian-occupied Kashmir," a foreign office statement quoted Qureshi as saying late Monday. "We are deeply concerned over the deteriorating situation... which is resulting in loss of life and property of the Kashmiri people. We call for immediate steps to end violence against innocent Kashmiris."
Qureshi said he had "learnt with great sorrow and grief" about the "martyrdom" of Sheikh Abdul Aziz, a moderate political leader at the forefront of the political struggle against Indian rule. He was shot and killed by Indian security forces on Monday during a protest near the Line of Control, which divides the Indian and Pakistani Kashmir.