Refusing to take these allegations at face value, the spokesman at the Foreign Office challenged Singh and said that apart from refraining from casting baseless allegations, it would be better to “work with Pakistan to eliminate terrorism from the region and create an environment of peace and amity in South Asia”.
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He said Pakistan had issued two statements on violation of ceasefire by India including when a drone was shot down as it entered Pakistan’s airspace.
“Pakistan had condemned the Gurdaspur attack“.
The minister said the Global Positioning System devices belonging to the terrorists found after they were shot dead at the end of a 12-hour long gun-battle established that they crossed into India through the River Ravi. “To tackle terrorism, a cooperative approach is required”, it said.
“Pointing fingers before investigation is not a healthy trend”, the spokesman said.
Minister for Finance and Information and Broadcasting Arun Jaitley later told reporters outside Parliament that the evidence that the Gurdaspur attack had Pakistan connection is overwhelmingly conclusive but refused to say whether dialogue with Pakistan was still possible after this. Responding a question about increase in number of Indian security forces along the border, the spokesperson categorically stated that Pakistan is fully capable of defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity against any foreign aggression.
“We will continue to raise our concerns whenever there is a violation of ceasefire on Line of Control or at Working Boundary”, he said.
Pakistan is slated to facilitate the second round of talks between the Afghanistan government and Taliban, it was announced on Thursday. However, it is up to the Afghans to discuss the agenda of the next round of talks and Pakistan’s role is that of a facilitator, he added.
Pakistan was the expected venue for the meeting, due to take place on Friday, where Afghan officials had pledged to press the insurgents for a ceasefire.
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“Home Minister’s provocative comments are a threat to the peace and security of the region”, its Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
