By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan on Saturday "strongly" condemned the reported killing of a Kashmiri young man in the custody of Indian police.
Mohammad Amin Malik was taken for questioning earlier this week during a search operation in Pulwama district, 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) south of Srinagar, the capital city of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, before being reportedly shot dead by police, according to Kashmir Media Service news portal.
"The Indian occupation army has killed over 50 Kashmiris since January 2021 in fake encounters in the name of so-called security operations against the innocent Kashmiri civilians," read a statement from the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.
The statement asserted: "Young men including minor children are murdered in broad daylight using brutal and indiscriminate force."
"Arbitrary detentions of Kashmiri youth also continue unabated. In addition, refusal to return the mortal remains of martyrs for proper burial demonstrates the moral bankruptcy of the Indian government," it added.
Islamabad called on the international community to hold New Delhi accountable for the "grave and systematic" human rights violations of the Kashmiri people and to work for the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute in line with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
The Hindustan Times quoted government officials as claiming that during the interrogation, Malik snatched a rifle from a police constable and refused to surrender.
It said he was arrested on May 30, 2021, with incriminating materials such as arms, live ammunition and explosives including an unlicensed 12 bore gun, iron/steel balls and bomb-making materials, it quoted a police spokesman as saying.
– Disputed region
Kashmir is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.
Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars — in 1948, 1965, and 1971 — two of them over Kashmir.
Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or unification with neighboring Pakistan.
According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.
