A FIREBRAND cleric with links to Osama bin Laden has called on Islamic militants to wage war against Indian troops in Kashmir.

Outspoken Maulana Abdul Aziz has declared that jihad is now "mandatory” in the hotly-disputed region.

6 Maulana Abdul Aziz was close to Bin Laden and al-Qaeda as well as the Taliban founder

Speaking to The Times, the 59 year old branded Pakistan’s current strategy in Kashmir a total failure.

He also demanded the country's prime minister Imran Khan free Islamists held in Pakistani jails and “open the border for our fighters” to strike Indian forces.

India’s crackdown in Kashmir ramped up this week with the arrest of more than 500 people and scores of opposition politicians detained.

Indian and Pakistani troops then exchanged fire across the border on Wednesday night.

“Muslims in Kashmir are waiting for our help,” said Aziz, who was close to Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, as well as the founder of the Taliban Mullah Omar.

“The current policy on Kashmir is weak. We have to respond to the Indian atrocities and the lockdown of the valley.”

Under Azizi the Red Mosque in Islamabad became a haven for militants eventually sparking a bloody showdown with the Pakistani military in 2007.

6 Bin Laden pictured hiding in out in mountains of Afghanistan in 1998 Credit: AP:Associated Press

6 An Indian paramilitary trooper stands guard on a road in Kashmir Credit: AFP or licensors

He is now thought to be close to the Inter-Services Intelligence, which is Pakistan’s powerful intelligence agency.

Tensions between India and Pakistan are at boiling point after the Indian government stripped Kashmir of its special status.

On Monday, India's government revoked part of the constitution that gives Kashmir a special status.

India and Pakistan have fought many conflicts over Kashmir.

6

However, Article 370 had guaranteed significant autonomy for the Muslim-majority in the state.

India's parliament is now expected to pass a bill splitting Indian-administered Kashmir into two territories both to be governed directly by Delhi.

Pakistan has condemned the move and said it is illegal.

The region of Kashmir has always been a contentious issue even before India and Pakistan won their independence from Britain.

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Many people who live in the region do not want to be controlled by India - they want independence or a union with Pakistan.

The inhabitants of Kashmir are more than 60 per cent Muslim making it the the only state within India where they are in the majority.

There has been violence in the area since 1989 but fresh violence hit the area after the death of a militant leader in July 2016.

6 Aziz demanded Imran Khan free Islamists held in Pakistani jails Credit: AFP or licensors

6 Indian troops check the bag of a man riding a scooter during curfew in Kashmir Credit: AP:Associated Press