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‘Pak claims on Karachi attack are absurd’: India hits back
New Delhi
New Delhi
India on Thursday dismissed as “absurd” Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s allegation that New Delhi was behind a terror attack on the Karachi stock exchange, saying Islamabad cannot shift the blame for its domestic problems.
Khan had told Pakistan’s Parliament on Tuesday that he had “no doubt” that India was behind Monday’s terror attack on the stock exchange building that left four security personnel dead. All four attackers were also killed.
The premier didn’t give any evidence to back up his claim, and his remarks were a reiteration of allegations made earlier by foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. The attack was claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army.
Asked about Khan’s allegations during a weekly media briefing, external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said: “India rejects these absurd comments on the terrorist attack in Karachi and Pakistan cannot shift the blame on India for its domestic problems.
Referring to Khan’s recent description of former al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden as a “martyr”, Srivastava added: “We would ask Pakistan that they may wish to reflect on this and on their own government’s position, including their prime minister’s description of a global terrorist as a martyr.”
Bin Laden was killed in the northwestern Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad during a raid by US commandoes in 2011.
In response to another question on the Indian government’s decision to ask Pakistan to reduce the strength of its high commission in New Delhi by 50% because of the alleged involvement of Pakistani officials in espionage and terror activities, Srivastava said personnel from the Indian mission in Islamabad and the Pakistani mission in New Delhi had returned home on June 30.
A total of 38 Indian officials and family members had returned via the Wagah-Attari land border crossing while 143 Pakistani officials and family members had also crossed over, he said.
Srivastava also said a total of 627 Indians stranded in Pakistan because of Covid-19-related travel restrictions had returned via the Wagah-Attari crossing. A total of 204 Indians returned on June 25, 215 on June 26 and 208 on June 27.
Another 100 Indians were still in Pakistan and authorities are awaiting clearances to facilitate their return, he said.
