Islamabad: Pakistan has condemned the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen leader Abdul Majeed Dar and asked the Indian government to "quickly bring to justice those responsible for the heinous crime".

"Dar had devoted his entire life for the struggle against injustice and oppression of the people of Kashmir," Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding "this cowardly act is the latest in a series of attacks on Kashmiri leaders in the recent past".

"The government of Pakistan urges India to quickly bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous crime and also to end the oppression and brutalisation of the people in Kashmir," the statement said.

Leader of the Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami, Qazi Hussain Ahmed alleged that "Indian agents killed Dar so that the ongoing freedom struggle in held Kashmir could be converted into a civil war," official APP news agency said.

He appealed to the militant groups to show restrain and to unite themselves.

Hizbul Mujahideen headed by Sayed Salahuddin said Dar's killing was a "mysterious and a sorrowful incident".

Hizbul spokesman Salim Hashmi, while declining to blame anyone, said his organisation would conduct its own probe into Dar's murder.

A lesser-known organisation called Save Kashmir Movement and al-Nasireen claimed responsibility for killing Dar.

PTI