India dismisses Pakistan's terror charges as figment of imagination

"The face of global terror, Osama Bin Laden, was found in Pakistan, Pakistan’s PM glorified him as a 'martyr' from the floor of Parliament," MEA said

A day after Islamabad accused India of sabotaging the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as well as of fomenting terrorism in Pakistan, New Delhi dismissed the allegation as a deliberate attempt by Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government in the neighbouring country to divert attention from its failure in managing domestic political and economic crisis.

New Delhi alleged that Islamabad also sought to justify its support to the export of terrorism from Pakistan to India as well as violation of ceasefire by its armed forces along the Line of Control (LoC) and the undisputed stretches of the border between the two nations.

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The angry reaction by India came a day after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi addressed a press conference alongside Army spokesman Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar to claim that India was behind some of the terror attacks in that country.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi joined the spokesperson of its powerful army to address a news conference in Islamabad on Saturday. They shared with the journalists a dossier, which, according to them, had contained “irrefutable” proofs of India’s role in supporting terrorism in Pakistan.

They also played videos and audio clips during the news conference in support of their claims. They alleged that officials posted at India’s embassy and consulates in Afghanistan oversee its support to terrorists in Pakistan.

"This is yet another futile anti-India propaganda exercise (by Pakistan)," Anurag Srivastava, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. "The so-called claims of ‘proof’ against India enjoy no credibility, are fabricated and represent figments of imagination," he said.

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"This desperate attempt will find few takers as the international community is aware of Pakistan’s tactics and proof of its terror sponsorship has been admitted by none other than its own leadership."

New Delhi pointed out that the face of global terror, Osama Bin Laden, had been found in Pakistan and the prime minister of the neighbouring country had even glorified him as a ‘martyr’ from the floor of Parliament.

"He (Imran Khan) admitted the presence of 40,000 terrorists in Pakistan," Srivastava said, adding that the Science and Technology Minister of Pakistan had proudly claimed involvement and success of Pakistan, led by its prime minister, in the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 Indian soldiers were martyred.

"Despite repeated calls for restraint and adherence to the ceasefire understanding of 2003 for maintaining peace and tranquillity, Pakistani forces continue to engage in providing supporting cover fire to infiltrators," the MEA stated.