Jaiswal said instead of parroting frivolous claims, Pakistan would do better to focus on “addressing long-standing demands of its people in the region”
NEW DELHI: India on Sunday rejected allegations by Pakistan’s civilian and military authorities linking New Delhi to a series of attacks in Balochistan, and this was part of the usual tactics to deflect attention from Islamabad’s internal failings.
Following attacks at almost a dozen locations in Balochistan that were claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi alleged that India was behind the coordinated assaults in the southwestern province. The Pakistani military’s media arm claimed the attacks were launched by “Indian sponsored Fitna al Hindustan,” a term the army uses for the BLA.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded to the comments from the Pakistani side by saying: “We categorically reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan, which are nothing but its usual tactics to deflect attention from its own internal failings.
“Instead of parroting frivolous claims each time there is a violent incident, it would do better to focus on addressing long-standing demands of its people in the region,” he said, referring to demands from the people of Balochistan for greater autonomy and control over the exploitation of the province’s natural resources, including gas and minerals.
Pakistan’s “record of suppression, brutality and violation of human rights is well known”, Jaiswal said.
Pakistani authorities have said the coordinated attacks that targeted cities such as the provincial capital Quetta and the port city of Gwadar killed 18 civilians and 15 troops. Suicide bombers and BLA’s women fighters were involved in the attacks. Pakistan’s military has said it killed 133 militants in separate operations in Balochistan.
