Pak needles India, to observe July 19 as ‘Black Day’ over Kashmir deaths

In a major snub to India, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday announced that his country would observe July 19 as ‘Black Day’ to mourn ‘killings' in Kashmir, referring to those who died during protests after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in J&K.

Pakistan has demanded a UN-backed independent and transparent inquiry into the "extra-judicial" killings in Kashmir, terming the situation there a "grave threat to peace and security".

Pakistan's envoy to the UN Maleeha Lodhi met Under Secretary General Edmond Mullet, the Chef de Cabinet of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon here and pushed for the probe, according to a press release issued by the Pakistani Mission to the UN yesterday.

"At the United Nations, Pakistan called for an independent and transparent inquiry into the extra judicial killings in Indian occupied Kashmir, calling the situation there a grave threat to peace and security," it said.

Pakistan on Thursday had described slain Hizbul commander Burhan Wani and other militants as people "fighting for freedom" and accused Indian security forces of committing "state-terrorism" in Kashmir.

"The Indian security forces are involved in state-terrorism in Kashmir and the international community should take notice of it," Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said at his weekly briefing in Islamabad.

In response to a question, Zakaria described slain Hizbul commander Wani and other militants as people "fighting for freedom."