SRINAGAR: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called an emergency meeting to discuss escalating violence in India-held Kashmir (IHK) amid anti-India protests that have left at least 28 people dead in clashes with authorities.

The protests erupted over the weekend after government forces killed Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Indian authorities imposed an indefinite curfew in most parts of IHK after Wani was killed.

Paramilitary troops and police in riot gear were patrolling villages and towns on Tuesday. Still, crowds ignored curfews to demonstrate in several places around the region.

Police said Tuesday that the death toll from the street violence had reached 28, after three young men died overnight. Hundreds of civilians and at least 100 troops have been injured.

Wani, the Hizbul Mujahideen chief of operations, was killed in fighting on Friday after Indian troops, acting on a tip, cordoned off a forested village in the southern Kashmir's Kokernag area, said Police Director-General K. Rajendra. Two other members of Wani's group were also killed in the gun battle.

Pakistan on Sunday condemned the "extra-judicial killing of Kashmiri leader Burhan Wani and scores of other innocent Kashmiris", terming such acts a "violation of the fundamental human rights of Kashmiris".

The Foreign Office also summoned Indian High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale on Monday to register a protest with the envoy and convey Pakistan's concerns over the killing of Burhan Wani and other civilians in IHK.

Terming Pakistan's condemnation of the killing of Wani an interference in India's internal affairs, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Pakistan should refrain from issuing statements on unrest in IHK.

Opinion

Editorial

Spoiler alert
17 Jun, 2026

Spoiler alert

AFTER the temporary peace deal between the US and Iran is physically signed in Geneva on Friday, an arduous process...
Storm-tested cities
17 Jun, 2026

Storm-tested cities

THE deaths caused by the latest spell of monsoon rains in KP and Punjab illustrate how quickly severe weather can...
Chakwal tragedy
17 Jun, 2026

Chakwal tragedy

A NINE-year-old girl is dead because a Punjab Crime Control Department gunman mistook her family’s car for a...
A new deal
Updated 16 Jun, 2026

A new deal

AFTER three and a half months of war between US-Israel and Iran and an acrimonious temporary ceasefire, a genuine...
Charter of economy
16 Jun, 2026

Charter of economy

NO one expected the PTI to accept the government’s invitation to sign a charter of economy; just as few expected...
Hostage seamen
16 Jun, 2026

Hostage seamen

SOME 50 days on, 11 Pakistani nationals are still in Somali pirates’ captivity. Their appeals to the Pakistani and...