India is set to reject a UN request to send a team of investigators to Jammu and Kashmir following a recent uptick in unrest which is the worst in the region since 2010.  

Kashmir has witnessed violent protests since the July 8 killing of a pro-independence leader, with 54 people killed and several thousand wounded in clashes with Indian security forces.

The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has asked the Indian government to allow investigators into the restive region to examine allegations of human rights violations during a heavy-handed crackdown.

But New Delhi has prepared a "carefully-worded response, noting that a visit by a UN Human Rights Council team is not required," The Times of India reported on Monday.

The letter has touched on "several measures the Indian government has taken to restore normalcy" in Kashmir and accused Pakistan of "overt role in aggravating the situation," the paper said.

There are an estimated 500,000 Indian troops currently deployed in the restive territory. The country has imposed a curfew across large parts of the territory since July.

On Monday, armed militants attacked police paramilitaries in Kashmir's summer capital of Srinagar, wounding 10 people. Police said three of them were in serious condition.

The attacks came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his annual Independence Day speech in New Delhi.

Police said operations were continuing against the attackers, who were holed up in a building near a police station.

The Indian army also said it had foiled an attempt by two militants to infiltrate into India from Pakistan, killing both at the de facto border between the two countries.

Modi met with leaders of different parties on Friday to discuss the recent escalation of the crisis in Kashmir but they failed to agree on sending an all-party delegation to the region for talks to calm tensions there.



[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="550"] Protesters in Kashmir throw stones towards Indian government forces in downtown Srinagar on August 12, 2016. ©AFP[/caption]

In his speech on Monday, Modi did not mention Kashmir while he accused Pakistanis of celebrating attacks on India.

India and Pakistan both claim Kashmir in full. New Delhi controls two-thirds of Kashmir, while the remaining one-third is under  Islamabad's rule. The two nuclear rivals have fought two wars over the disputed territory.

India accuses Pakistan of providing pro-independence militants with arms and sending them across the borderline to launch attacks on Indian forces.

On Friday, the Indian government expanded the curfew to block a rally planned by pro-independence activists who went ahead with the protest in Srinagar anyway after Friday prayers. Indian troops detained several of the demonstrators.

By Press TV