Want peace restored in Kashmir, hope India-Pak talk on the issue: Abdul Basit

Reiterating his stand that Islamabad only wants peace to prevail in Kashmir which has been hit by violence for more than two months, Pakistani High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit on Saturday said that even though India had 'rejected' their offer for talks on the matter, he hoped that a dialogue between the two nations was slated soon.

"We hope that peace comes soon in Kashmir. We had sent a request for talks but as you know that had been rejected, but we will continue to hope that talks are held in Kashmir," Basit told the media here.

Asked to react on JK Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's statement directly implicating Pakistan and accusing them of instigating youth in Kashmir, Basit said that he had nothing to comment on the subject as the statement was her opinion.

When said that the United Nations had virtually confirmed six addresses of global terrorist Dawood Ibrahim in Pakistan, the diplomat swatted away the development saying that the entire matter had become stale now.

Earlier on Saturday, Mufti lashed out at Pakistan and asserted that if Islamabad is really concerned about the situation in the Valley, then it will try to help in fixing the crisis rather than fanning the flames.

She added that if they have any sympathy for the people of Kashmir, then they will stop provoking the youth into attacking security forces by saying that it will solve the unrest in the Valley.

Basit had earlier courted controversy saying that Pakistan will always help the people of Kashmir in their freedom struggle.

"Pakistan will always help and take the side of the Kashmiris till they get their right. This kind of freedom struggle sometimes takes several years or even ages to be completed... Pakistan will always help the Kashmir people, who are fighting for their freedom," he had said on the occasion of Pakistan's Independence Day at the High Commission here.

Meanwhile, the situation in the Valley continued to be grim as a police constable was shot dead by terrorists in Pulwama District on Saturday.

The police constable, Khurshid Ahmed, was killed outside his house in Koil village at around 3:00 am. According to reports, he was leaving his home for duties when the militants shot him from a close range.

Normal life in Kashmir Valley remained paralysed as curfew and shutdown continued for the 50th consecutive day on Saturday in the wake of violence following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani last month.

All educational institutions, shops, public transport and other businesses are closed since July 9.

Earlier, authorities arrested several top separatist leaders and extended curfew to large parts of the Valley to foil a separatists' march in Srinagar.

The death toll in the valley reached 67 on Friday, as another youth succumbed to his injuries in clashes that broke out between security forces and the locals in Pulwama district.