'Baseless propaganda': India hits back at Pakistan for claims that it was behind Lahore blast

New Delhi, July 9: Days after Pakistan made serious allegations against India while terming the June 23 bomb blast as "India-sponsored terrorism", New Delhi slammed the neighboring country and rejected the accusations as "baseless propaganda". The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson also said that the international community knows Pakistan’s record on terrorism.

 

"It is not new for Pakistan to engage in baseless propaganda against India. Pakistan would do well to expend the same effort in setting its own house in order and taking credible and verifiable action against terrorism emanating from its soil and terrorists who have found safe sanctuaries there," spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

 

 

“The international community is well aware of Pakistan’s credentials when it comes to terrorism. This is acknowledged by none other than its own leadership, which continues to glorify terrorists like Osama bin Laden as ‘martyrs’,” Bagchi said.

 

This comes after Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf had told reporters in Islamabad on Sunday that the mastermind of the attack that killed three people and injured 24, “is an Indian citizen and he is associated with R&AW (Research and Analysis Wing)”.

 

 

On Twitter, Prime Minister Imran Khan also made serious allegations stating that the "planning & financing of this heinous terror attack has links to Indian sponsorship of terrorism against Pakistan", and asked the "global community to mobilise international institutions against this rogue behaviour".

 

It should be noted that such accusation by Pakistan have come at a time when the two sides are engaged in back-channel conversations to bring the bilateral relationship back on track. In February, the two sides had agreed to follow the ceasefire pact along the border and LoC; that has now held for just over four months.