ISLAMABAD, Feb 16 (NNN-XINHUA) — Pakistan has rejected Indian allegations of its involvement in a suicide attack in the Indian-controlled Kashmir that left 40 soldiers killed, local media reported.
In a move against the “baseless allegations,” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry summoned Indian acting Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia, lodging a protest over the allegations.
The ministry rejected any link between the attack and Pakistan and told the Indian official that India should refrain from leveling accusations without investigations.
Responding to Indian media reports that banned outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad claimed the attack, the foreign office said that the organization has no links with Pakistan as it is based in the Indian-controlled Kashmir.
The country’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who left for Germany Thursday, also rejected the allegations, saying that Pakistan has always advocated peace with its neighboring countries and “Prime Minister Imran Khan’s peace overture to India is on record,” local newspaper quoted the foreign minister as saying.
Local media reports said that India has scrapped the Most Favored Nation’s status for Pakistan in the aftermath of the attack. Removing the status is feared to affect the trade relations between Pakistan and India, said local analysts.
Advisor to Prime Minister on Trade Abdul Razzak Dawood told reporters on Friday that Pakistan will not take any emotional or hasty decision and the country’s response to India’s move will come after due deliberation. — NNN-XINHUA
