Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had accused India of blaming his government over the Pulwama attack “without any evidence”. (REUTERS/Thomas Peter/Pool/File Photo)In a sharp riposte to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on his response to Pulwama terror attack, India on Tuesday said it was not surprised that Islamabad refused to acknowledge the attack as an act of terrorism and demanded that Pakistan take “credible and visible action” against its perpetrators.
“We are not surprised that Pakistan PM refuses to acknowledge the attack on our security forces in Pulwama as an act of terrorism. Prime Minister of Pakistan has neither chosen to condemn this heinous act nor condoled,” the Ministry of External Affairs said, hours after Khan ruled out his country’s involvement in the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. READ | Pakistan PM Imran Khan: Open to probe, will retaliate if India attacks
“India’s democracy is a model for the world which Pakistan would never understand. We demand Pakistan to stop misleading the international community and take credible and visible action against the perpetrators of Pulwama terror attack,” it said.
It is a well-known fact that Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and its leader Masood Azhar are based in Pakistan, the MEA said. “These should be sufficient proof for Pakistan to take action,” it said.
Earlier, Khan had accused India of blaming the Pakistan government over the Pulwama terror attack “without any evidence”, despite the JeM claiming responsibility for the attack. “This is a New Pakistan… we want stability. We do not benefit by attacking India,” Khan had said in a pre-recorded message. “It is in our interest that nobody from our soil spreads violence. I want to tell Indian govt that we will take action if evidence is found against anyone from Pakistan.”
Explained: Imran Khan’s speech had these two significant departures
“If you have any actionable intelligence that a Pakistani is involved. Give it to us. I guarantee you we will take action – not because we are under pressure, but because they are acting as enemies of Pakistan,” Khan had said.
MEA: “It is regrettable that the Pakistani Prime Minister has insinuated that India’s response to the terrorist attack is determined by the forthcoming General Election. India rejects this false allegation.” @IndianExpress
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Describing Khan’s offer to investigate the matter as “a lame excuse”, the MEA said, “In the horrific attack in Mumbai on 26/11, proof was provided to Pakistan. Despite this, the case has not progressed for the last more than 10 years.”
“Disclaiming any link between the terrorist attack and Pakistan is an oft-repeated excuse by Pakistan. Pak PM has ignored claims made by the Jaish-e-Mohammad, as well as by the terrorist, who perpetrated this heinous crime,” the MEA statement read. “Pakistan claims to be the greatest victim of terrorism. This is far from truth. The international community is well acquainted with the reality that Pakistan is the nerve center of terrorism.”
In his statement, Khan also warned New Delhi against launching any “revenge” retaliatory action. “It is your election year and we understand that during elections you will get a boost to teach Pakistan a lesson. If you think, you would launch any attack on Pakistan and we would not think of retaliating, Pakistan will retaliate,” Khan had said.
Censuring Khan for his remarks, the MEA further said, “It is regrettable that the Pakistani Prime Minister has insinuated that India’s response to the terrorist attack is determined by the forthcoming General Election. India rejects this false allegation.”
