India on Tuesday hit back at Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying that his comments on the Pulwama terror attack are “not surprising”. Imran Khan had claimed that India does not have any evidence to prove Pakistan’s role in the worst terror attack in Kashmir in decades.

“We are not surprised that the Pakistan PM refuses to acknowledge the attack on our security forces in Pulwama as an act of terrorism. He has neither chosen to condemn this heinous act nor condoled with the bereaved families,” the ministry of external affairs said in a statement.

India said that disclaiming any link with terror outfits is an oft-repeated excuse by Islamabad and criticised the Pakistan PM for seeking proof for action against terror groups, saying it was nothing but a “lame excuse”.

New Delhi pointed out that evidence was provided to Pakistan after the 26/11 attacks but the case has not progressed in 10 years. “Promises of guaranteed action ring hollow given the track record of Pakistan,” the statement said.

Imran Khan’s attempts to link India’s response to the terror attack with the general election drew sharp criticism. “India rejects this false allegation. 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,” said the statement.

The Pakistan premier had asserted that Pakistan has nothing to gain from being associated with a terror act and he was building a ‘Naya Pakistan’ with a new thinking. India took a dig at Imran Khan’s comment and said ministers “share stage with terrorists like Hafeez Saeed in Naya Pakistan”.

In his statement, Imran Khan had said that Pakistan is the greatest victim of terrorism. India countered it by saying that Pakistan was indeed the “nerve center of terrorism”.

The MEA statement said the fact that Jaish-e-Mohammad and its leader Masood Azhar are based in Pakistan should be sufficient proof for Pakistan take action. Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad has claimed responsibility for the the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

India had launched a diplomatic offensive against Pakistan after the Pulwama attack. The external affairs ministry reached out to more than two dozen countries including P5 – the US, the UK, France, Russia and China

India withdrew the most favoured nation (MFN) status accorded to Pakistan in 1996. The MFN status had not been revoked even during the 1999 Kargil War and in the aftermath of 2008 Mumbai terror attack that killed more than 160 people.

First Published: Feb 19, 2019 18:46 IST