Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Nirmal Kumar Singh on Thursday said the state government will not allow anti-national activities in the Valley, reported The Indian Express. However, he said security forces have been asked to exercise restrain against protesters who took to streets after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by Indian forces on Friday, July 8.

The government has imposed a curfew across the Valley and plans to keep a watch on the Friday prayer to avoid any untoward incident, Singh said, adding that the administration is also working to ensure a safe Amarnath Yatra. “Yes, we have asked forces to exercise maximum restraint, but anti-national activities won’t be tolerated. We are aware that Pakistan-backed elements are behind fanning of violence. They are trying to revive militancy,” the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader said.

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According to Singh, Pakistan is behind the unrest in the state, where 37 people have died and more than 1,500 have been injured since Saturday. "Pakistan, which knows that it has lost the proxy war that it has been waging in the state, is playing dirty games through some elements on its rolls...Every recent incident of protest, be it over the Sainik Colony in Kashmir or others, have been the handiwork of Pakistan-supported elements,” he said.

The state government also asked to separatists groups to help normalise the situation. "Definitely, we are appealing to them, everybody who belongs to Kashmir. This is not the time for politics as Pakistan is playing politics and dirty games and raised the issue at the United Nations," Singh said, adding that security personnel were not aware of Wani's presence when they carried out the operation last Friday, NDTV reported.

This comes after Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti spoke to army, paramilitary and police officers about the situation at a high-level meeting. Earlier, state minister Naeem Akhtar said that the government may look into the killing of Wani.