Pakistan, India again trade barbs over terrorism

In yet another reflection of heightening tensions between the nuclear neighbors, Pakistan and India on Saturday again accused each other of “supporting” terrorism.

New Delhi claimed to have foiled an alleged terrorist attack orchestrated by “Pakistan-based” militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) to “derail the ongoing democratic exercise of conduct of local district development council elections” in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

Rejecting the “groundless” allegations, Islamabad accused New Delhi of “sponsoring” terrorism in Pakistan, apart from being involved in “state-terrorism” in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region.

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said the allegations were “part of India’s desperate attempts to divert international attention from its state-terrorism” in Jammu and Kashmir and “state-sponsorship of terrorism against Pakistan.”

It said the Indian allegations proved that New Delhi “has stepped up anti-Pakistan propaganda” after Islamabad presented a dossier with “irrefutable evidence of India’s state-sponsorship of terrorism” last week.

“The dossier presented by Pakistan extensively documents India’s active planning, promoting, aiding, abetting, financing and execution of terrorist activities against Pakistan. Bland denials and regurgitation of old litany of charges by the Indian side will not change facts,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Raising the ‘bogey’ of so-called “cross-border terrorism” time and again does not lend any credibility to India’s false narrative.”

Islamabad said New Delhi's “history of conducting false flag operations” in the Himalayan region and inside India “to malign Pakistan is too well-known.”

“We have consistently sensitized the international community about the possibility of India resorting yet again to a false flag operation, and we take this opportunity to forewarn the world again,” the statement said.

Pakistan urged the UN to follow up on the “evidence” it has provided and “urge India to renounce use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy, dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism it has established to inflict terrorism on Pakistan, and stop the use of other countries’ soil for its terrorist activities directed against Pakistan.”

In a statement on Saturday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said security forces foiled a “major” terrorist plot in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday and recovered a “huge cache of arms, ammunition and explosive material.”

New Delhi also summoned Pakistan’s charge d’affaires and “a strong protest was lodged at the attempted attack,” according to the statement.

“It was demanded that Pakistan desists from its policy of supporting terrorists and terror groups operating from its territory and dismantle the terror infrastructure operated by terrorist outfits to launch attacks in other countries,” the ministry said.