Agencies/Islamabad
Pakistan’s Foreign Office yesterday rejected Indian accusations of Pakistan’s alleged involvement in the terrorist attack on a police station in the Indian district of Gurdaspur, saying countering terrorism could only be possible through co-operation between the two countries and India should avoid making allegations before investigating the matter completely.
“Pointing fingers before investigation is not a healthy trend,” Foreign Office spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah was quoted by Pakistan Today as telling his weekly press briefing.
Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the Lok Sabha yesterday that the gunmen who stormed a police station and killed seven people in Indian Punjab had come from Pakistan.
According to Indian media reports, Singh said the Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, which were recovered from the killed terrorists, established that they crossed into India through the River Ravi.
“The trio was dressed in army fatigues and equipped with Chinese-manufactured grenades and AK-47s,” he added.
The Indian minister also warned of a forceful response to any attempt to undermine India’s territorial integrity or security but did not specify any response to Monday’s attack. Indian police had managed to overcome three heavily armed men after a 12-hour gun battle. Four police officers including the local superintendent and three civilians had died in the operation in the usually calm northern state of Indian Punjab.
The Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson further said that Pakistan’s high commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, had postponed his visit to Chandigarh following the incident because the Indian government did not permit his driver and two other officers to travel with him.
He added that India and Pakistan are in contact regarding the dates for the meeting between their respective national security advisers. Talking about India’s aggression at the Line of Control (LoC) and working boundary, Khalilullah said Pakistan is capable of defending itself against any aggression.
