ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday condemned the killing of civilians in Indian-controlled Kashmir in a recent deadly raid by government forces on alleged militants.

Four people, including two civilians and two suspected rebels, died on Monday night in a raid by government forces in Srinagar. According to police, the civilians died in the crossfire, but witnesses and families of the civilians said troops used them as human shields during the standoff.

Kashmiris for years have accused Indian troops of targeting civilians and committing abuses with impunity. Such allegations include staging gunfights and then saying the victims were militants.

“Pakistan strongly condemns wanton extra-judicial killing,” the foreign office said. “The Indian occupation forces have martyred at least 30 Kashmiris in fake encounters or so called ‘cordon and search operations’ since 1st October 2021.”

Indian authorities later secretly buried the bodies, following a policy that started last year, when hundreds of suspected rebels and their alleged associates, including civilians, in unmarked graves in remote areas, denying their families proper burial.

As Indian authorities justify the policy by citing efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus during funerals, Pakistan condemns the practice.

“Also condemnable is the inhuman and callous practice of the Indian occupation forces of not handing over the mortal remains of the martyred Kashmiris to their families in many instances,” the foreign office said. “Usurping the fundamental rights of Kashmiri families by denying them the right of proper burial of martyrs further exposes the current Indian government’s moral bankruptcy.”

Pakistan and India, who gained independence from British colonial rule in 1947, are archrivals mainly because of Kashmir. The region is divided between them but both claim it in its entirety and have fought three wars over it.

The two sides have strained relations since India unilaterally abolished the autonomous status of its part of Kashmir in August 2019.