By Zahid Rafiq

SRINAGAR, Jammu Kashmir

A militant group Tuesday denied their involvement in the killing of seven Hindu pilgrims in south Kashmir.

In a statement released to Kashmir News Service, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) spokesman Abdullah Ghaznavi called the attack on the pilgrims as a “highly reprehensible act.”

“Islam does not allow violence against any faith. We strongly condemn such acts.

“This barbarity and atrocity is trademark of Indian forces. India wants to sabotage the freedom struggle of Kashmiris, therefore, it uses such attacks to fulfill its nefarious agenda.”

The attack took place at around 8 p.m. local time (1430 GMT) on Monday in Botengo village in south Kashmir's Anantnag district when the pilgrims were returning from the Amarnath shrine.

The police blamed the LeT militants for the attack, saying the assault was aimed at the armed forces and not at the pilgrims.

The LeT -- listed as a terrorist organization by Pakistan, India, the U.S. and EU -- was founded in Pakistan in 1987 by Hafiz Sayeed and has been linked to terror attacks such as the 2008 attack on Mumbai in which 164 people were killed.

The civil society in Kashmir has also condemned and criticized the killings and called for an impartial investigation into the killings.

“We unambiguously and emphatically show solidarity towards those killed and demand a credible investigation,” a prominent human rights activist Khurram Parve told Anadolu Agency.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

The two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- since they were partitioned in 1947, two of which were fought over Kashmir. Kashmiri resistance groups in Jammu Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.

More than 70,000 people have reportedly been killed in the conflict since 1989. India maintains more than half a million troops in the disputed region.