Despite appeals for calm there were protests and clashes in several parts of the valley. (AFP Photo)
With the number of dead reaching 36 and over 1500 injured in the last six days of unrest in Kashmir, the BJP-PDP government on Friday appealed to separatist groups for help in bringing peace.
"Definitely we are appealing to them, everybody who belongs to state and Kashmir. This is not the time for politics as Pakistan is playing politics and dirty games and raised the issue at UN," said Dr Nirmal Singh, deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti held a high-level security review meeting with top army, paramilitary and police officers to discuss the fallout of terrorist Burhan Wani's killing. In a controversial statement, her trusted aide and minister Naeem Akhar has said that the government may re-look into how the Hizbul Mujahideen commander was killed. The BJP leader and deputy chief minister said they had no idea whether Wani was there when security forces launched the operation on Friday last.
"Operations (against terrorists) is a routine but that time we had no idea that Burhan Wani was there as we were told by police. But ultimately its fallout of that" said Mr Singh.
Despite appeals for calm there were protests and clashes in several parts of the valley. In Anantnag, crowds set on fire a forest hut after protests over the killing of a 17-year-old in police firing on Wednesday evening.
As the number of casualties is rising every passing day, the government's challenge now is how to break the cycle of civilian killings in Kashmir.