Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has blamed India for the suicide blast outside an Islamabad court that killed 12 people. He also alleged New Delhi's role in Monday's attack on a cadet college in Wana, near the border with Afghanistan.
Sharif blamed "Indian-sponsored terrorist proxies" for the twin attacks, according to Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), the Pakistani government's news agency. "These attacks are a continuation of India's state-sponsored terrorism aimed at destabilizing Pakistan," he was quoted by APP as saying.
In an interview with Geo News, Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Asif warned India and Afghanistan against any misadventure, saying Pakistan would “pay back in the same coin.”
He warned that Pakistan could carry out strikes inside Afghanistan following recent terrorist attacks in Islamabad and South Waziristan. He accused the Afghan Taliban regime of harboring militants responsible for the violence.
Asif clarified that Pakistan would not start any military action but would respond to any aggression. “Pakistan will never initiate any military adventure,” he assured. However, he said, “We will not let any act of aggression go unanswered; we will respond forcefully.”
Asif's comments came after a powerful explosion tore through a parked car near the Islamabad judicial complex on November 11, killing 12 people and wounding 25 others. Officials said the blast was a suicide attack. The blast in Islamabad came a day after an explosion involving a parked car was reported in New Delhi, India. At least 12 people were killed in the incident, and several others were injured.
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India hits back In a hard-hitting response, India unequivocally rejected the baseless and unfounded allegations of "an obviously delirious Pakistani leadership". It also said Islamabad was involved in a predictable tactic to deflect its attention from its own internal crisis. "India unequivocally rejects the baseless and unfounded allegations being made by an obviously delirious Pakistani leadership. It is a predictable tactic by Pakistan to concoct false narratives against India in order to deflect the attention of its own public from the ongoing military-inspired constitutional subversion and power-grab unfolding within the country. The international community is well aware of the reality and will not be misled by Pakistan’s desperate diversionary ploys," a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. |
