Pakistan calls for protection of Kashmir amid increasing violence

Pakistan on Sunday called upon the international community and human rights organisations to take action and protect civilians in the Indian-administered Kashmir region from ongoing violence.

Speaking at a news conference in Islamabad a day after chaotic protests and fighting killed seven civilians and four combatants, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi called the international community "apathetic" to what is happening in the disputed region.   

He stressed that intervention is necessary from a humanitarian perspective, and urged members of the media to appeal to global organisations to place Kashmir higher on the international agenda.

At least seven civilians were killed and over three dozen injured Saturday when government forces fired at anti-India protesters following clashes that left three rebels and a soldier dead.

Local residents accused troops of directly spraying gunfire into the crowds and killing at least two civilians, including a teenage student, away from the site of battle.

Police said in a statement that they regretted the killings but that the protesters had come "dangerously close" to the fighting.

A security clampdown and a strike sponsored by separatists fighting against Indian rule followed on Sunday and shut most of Kashmir.

Kashmir is divided between rivals India and Pakistan and both claim the territory in its entirety.

Most Kashmiris support rebel demands that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country, while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control.

Rebels have been fighting Indian control since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.

Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.