Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed on Wednesday claimed that the protests that followed Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani's killing in Jammu Kashmir were fueled by the Lashkar-e-Taiba. "Have you seen pictures of the procession when lakhs of Kashmiris came to the streets? Did you see a man who was being carried on the shoulders by the crowd? Do you know the man who was leading the procession? He is an 'ameer' of the Laskar-e-Taiba," he said, according to India Today.

Saeed's allegation indicating the involvement of a Pakistan-based terror outfit comes at a time when the country has been trying to gain popular support in Kashmir by expressing solidarity with its people during the ongoing unrest in the state. The JuD leader also claimed that people from Faisalabad in Pakistan's Punjab province went to Kashmir and "sacrificed their lives". Saeed said: "Pakistan is incomplete without Kashmir, and by god's grace, Kashmir will become part of it someday...One day, the world will witness India splitting into pieces."

Moreover, the Pathankot and 2008 Mumbai attacks accused also expressed displeasure at India denying visas to members of his group who wanted visit Kashmir and treat those injured in the agitations. "The media keeps showing my pictures on TV while screaming Bombay [the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, in which he is a key accused]. They will gain nothing by doing so," he added.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had earlier called for a plebiscite in Kashmir and criticised the Indian government for its handling of the situation in the Valley. People took to the streets in the state after Wani was killed in an encounter on July 8. At least 47 people have died in the clashes with security personnel so far, and more than 5,500 others have been injured. On Tuesday, authorities lifted curfew from all parts of Kashmir, barring Anantnag, after 17 days of unrest. However, on Wednesday, they imposed it again in several areas ahead of a march by separatist leaders to Kulgam district.