Kashmir violence: 'Don't interfere in internal matters', says India to Pak PM Nawaz Sharif

Sharif called for a plebiscite in "occupied" Jammu and Kashmir to let its people decide if they want to be with India or align with Pakistan

India on Monday rebuffed Pakistan's demand for a plebiscite in Kashmir and said its criticism of the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani reflected Islamabad's "continued attachment to terrorism" and its use of terror "as an instrument of state policy".

"We have seen statements from Pakistan on the situation in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. They reflect Pakistan's continued attachment to terrorism and its usage as an instrument of State policy. Pakistan is advised to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of its neighbours," said a Ministry of External Affairs statement.

The statement comes in the wake of comments by Pakistan alleging human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, where clashes between mobs protesting the killing of Wani, a poster boy of militancy in the state, and security forces has claimed over 20 lives.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday called for a plebiscite in "occupied" Jammu and Kashmir to let its people decide if they want to be with India or align with Pakistan.

In a statement, Sharif also voiced "concern and deep sorrow" over the killing of Wani on Friday by security forces.

Radio Pakistan quoted Sharif as saying in a statement that the "massacre of citizens by Indian forces and use of brutal force against Kashmir is regrettable".

On Sunday, the Pakistan Foreign Ministry said the "extrajudicial killing" of Wani "and scores of other innocent Kashmiris" violated the fundamental human rights of Kashmiris.

This, a statement from the ministry said, "cannot deter the people of Jammu and Kashmir from their demand for the realisation of the right to self determination".