NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — On Sunday, four militants reportedly attacked an army brigade headquarters in Kashmir's town of Uri at 5:30 a.m. local time (00:00 GMT). As many as 17 servicemen were killed. The Indian leadership, including Home Minister Rajnath Singh, has condemned the attack and called for isolation of Pakistan on the ground of the country's alleged support of terrorism.
"Pakistan has noted with serious concern the recent spate of vitriolic and unsubstantiated statements emanating from Indian civil and military leadership in the aftermath of yesterday's attack on Indian occupation forces in the Uri sector of the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). Pakistan categorically rejects the baseless and irresponsible accusations being levelled by senior officials in Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi's Government," Aziz said in a Sunday statement, as quoted by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The region of Kashmir has been disputed by India and Pakistan since the dissolution of British India and the establishment of the two states in 1947. Some local residents, most of them Muslims, especially those residing in the Kashmir Valley, call for greater autonomy or even independence from India.
The recent escalation of violence in the region started in July after Indian security forces killed Burhan Wani, a commander of the separatist group Hizbul Mujahideen, outlawed in India, which has led to further deterioration of India-Pakistan relations.
