Pak rejects Pulwama attack probe charge sheet, calls it an attempt to serve domestic interest

A statement issued on Wednesday by the Pakistan Foreign Office says that it “categorically rejects the so-called ‘charge sheet’ by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), which mischievously attempts to implicate Pakistan in the Pulwama attack in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) last year.

Pakistan has rejected the charge sheet filed in the Pulwama attack probe, claiming it to be a ‘mischievous attempt’ to implicate Islamabad for the attack. It said that India has failed to provide credible evidence to support its claim and that it is meant to serve ‘narrow and domestic political interests.’

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks at a news conference in Putrajaya, Malaysia.(REUTERS)

A statement issued on Wednesday by the Pakistan Foreign Office says that it “categorically rejects the so-called ‘charge sheet’ by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), which mischievously attempts to implicate Pakistan in the Pulwama attack in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) last year. The fabrications in the reported ‘charge sheet’ are patently designed to further the BJP’s anti-Pakistan rhetoric and its narrow domestic political interests.”

“At the outset, Pakistan had rejected India’s baseless allegations and expressed readiness to extend cooperation on the basis of any actionable information. India failed to provide any credible evidence for its invective and has instead been using the attack for its malicious propaganda campaign against Pakistan,” read the statement.

The statement added, “It would be recalled that Indian military aircraft engaged in belligerent action against Pakistan on 26 February, 2019. The Indian misadventure was effectively countered by the Pakistan Air Force, which resulted in the downing of two Indian warplanes and capture of an Indian pilot. Despite India’s provocations, the Indian pilot was released by Pakistan as a peace gesture.”

It concludes by saying that Pakistan has been forewarning the international community about India’s use of “false flag” operation and possible ill-conceived misadventure.

GVL Narasimha Rao, spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party, said, “Pakistan has been a habitual liar and denied its culpability in all such terror crimes despite clinching evidence. In Pulwama, NIA has presented clinching forensically matched evidence to nail the role of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Pakistan. There will be no takers for Pak’s lies either in India or internationally.”