Pakistan rejects Indian allegations about infiltration in held Kashmir

Involvement of foreign elements in Quetta cannot be ruled out, says Foreign Office spokesperson

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan rejected on Thursday Indian claims of arresting an alleged Pakistani Bahadur Ali for intruding in Indian-held Kashmir, saying Pakistan would not allow anyone to use its soil against any other country.

"Your question is related to an alleged Pakistani - who the Indians say that he is Pakistani and he was involved in some sort of activity. I think our statement was very clear on this. We have already issued a statement which is in the public domain that we have rejected the allegations or claim of any infiltration across LOC," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said in reply to a question during a weekly briefing in Islamabad.

"We have a very firm policy in this regard that we would not allow our soil to be used for any terrorist activity against anyone."

India summoned Pakistan's high commissioner in New Delhi on Tuesday (August 9) to protest against what it said was the continued infiltration of militants from across the border, an allegation denied by its arch rival.



India's external affairs said an arrested Pakistani national Bahadur Ali had confessed that he was "infiltrated into India" after being trained by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group.

Foreign affairs ministry rejected the Indian allegation, saying in a statement it was committed not to allow the use of its territory for any militant activity against anyone. Still, the ministry said it would gather details to establish the veracity of India's claim.

However, Zakaria said Indian involvement in terrorist activities on Pakistani soil could not be ruled out and the confessional statement of Indian serving naval officer Kulbhushan Yadav had vindicated Pakistan's stance in this regard.

"As you are aware that the Indian intelligence agencies have remained involved in subversive and terrorist activities in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan and Karachi," he said.

"The confessional statement by the serving naval officer who was apprehended by our law-enforcement agencies has indeed vindicated Pakistan's claim. The confession has led to significant success in rounding up elements of the network."

Foreign elements' involvement in Quetta attack

Meanwhile, Zakaria said Pakistan involvement of foreign elements in Quetta tragedy could not be ruled out.

"Involvement of foreign elements working in cohorts with their local contacts in the condemnable terrorists attack in Quetta which took a huge toll of lives of innocent people, cannot be ruled out."



The Indian government admits that Yadav, who was arrested by in Balochistan earlier this year over charges of spying for the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) intelligence agency, is a former naval officer.

However he denies links with the government, and maintains that he took premature retirement.

"The confession of Kulbhushan Yadav, I would like you to revisit what he said. I think his statement was six to eight minutes long. You can just go back and replay it. And our authorities - the government of Pakistan authorities - have also elaborated on this point: the foreign hand and the foreign soil which are being used to perpetrate terrorist activities in Pakistan," he said.

"And it's not just our agencies or our government or the authorities who have asserted this thing. I have said this in the past also: we have on record statements made by foreign countries, very high officials who have said that our neighbour has been financing instability, to cause instability in Pakistan from the soil of another neighbour."

Zakaria said Pakistan's concerns about the constant human rights violations in Indian-held Kashmir and the presence of 700,000 Indian security personnel in the valley were shared by the international community, human rights organizations and non-government organisations.