New Delhi:
India has rejected Pakistan’s accusations about the involvement of an “Indian proxy” in the terrorist attack in Karachi. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a terrorist group often linked to Afghanistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack on the provincial headquarters of the paramilitary Pakistan Rangers in Karachi last week, in which three Pakistani security personnel and three terrorists were killed.
However, Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan’s interior minister, has claimed an “Indian proxy” was involved in the assault but provided no evidence to support his allegation.
India’s Reaction
Rejecting Islamabad’s allegations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called them baseless and asked Pakistani authorities to take credible action against terror infrastructure on their own soil.
“We have seen Pakistani reports making baseless allegations against India regarding the recent incident in Karachi,” Jaiswal said.
“We categorically reject them. Instead of pointing fingers at others, Pakistan would do better to look inwards, take credible action against the terror infrastructure on its territory and rid itself of its proclivity to rely on terrorism as an instrument of state policy,” he added.
Pakistan Carries Out Strikes In Afghanistan
Pakistan has carried out airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan overnight targeting terrorists in response to deadly attacks, the Pakistani information minister said.
“Three targets in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar were destroyed during precision strikes,” said information minister Attaullah Tarar in a statement, referring to three eastern Afghanistan provinces, and adding the strikes killed 25 terrorists.
He said the offensive also included ground operations in border regions and targeted Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. Tarar said Pakistan’s overnight operations were in response to an attack that killed three paramilitary troops in the southern city of Karachi on Saturday as well as recent violence in its border provinces.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar said that nine attackers took part in the attack where a terrorist rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the headquarters of the Pakistan Rangers in the port city of Karachi, triggering an intense gun battle with security forces. Three members of Pakistan’s paramilitary force were killed, and four others were injured in the fighting. Three terrorists were also killed in the fighting while a fourth, an Afghan national, was captured, Pakistan’s military said in a statement.
It comes as Pakistan’s security forces are being targeted across the country. Pakistan has carried out a series of airstrikes on Afghanistan in recent months, the last one earlier this month. Islamabad accuses the Taliban government of sheltering terrorists behind a surge in attacks, particularly the TTP, which has waged a violent campaign against Pakistan for years.
Kabul has repeatedly denied Afghan territory is used to harbour terrorists and says past Pakistani airstrikes have killed civilians. The border between the neighbours has remained largely closed since a flare-up in violence in October, freezing bilateral trade.
