Pakistan snubs India’s “terror boat” allegations

ISLAMABAD-

Pakistan on Tuesday rejected Indian allegations that the crew of a Pakistani ‘terror boat’, carrying explosives, blew up and sank their vessel after trying to evade capture at the hands of the Indian navy in a high-speed chase at sea.

“Pakistan is opposed to terrorism in all forms and manifestation and has been the biggest victim of terrorism,” Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said in a statement.

“The people and government of Pakistan are determined to eradicate this menace from our territory,” Aslam added.

Aslam said, “The brave armed forces of Pakistan are successfully conducting a comprehensive and across the board operation Zarb-e-Azb to root out terrorism.”

On New Year’s Eve a suspected Pakistani boat burst in the Arabian Sea after being intercepted by the Indian Coast Guard.

India’s ruling Bharatiya Janta Party claimed that the boat was on a terror mission. Later on, India media stated that the vessel seemed to be on a routine smuggling trip when it was intercepted.

However, BJP rejected the “smugglers at sea” theory and claimed that the vessel had “suspected terror links”.

Aslam also rejected comments of the spokesperson of Indian External Affairs.

FO spokesperson condemned the unprovoked firing and targeting of civilians by India at the Line of Control and the working boundary ‘as an attempt to distract our armed forces from its valiant mission against all terrorists.’

Aslam also condemned Indian allegation regarding the ‘citing’ of Punjabi/Urdu-speaking terrorist elements in Afghanistan and named them “baseless and malicious”.

“India is reminded to refrain from attempts to create misunderstanding between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the two brotherly nations bound by common destiny, shared culture, history and religion. These efforts are also in violation of all international norms,”  she said.