Pakistan rejects India's allegations about 'so-called terror boat': FO

FO spokesperson says Indian escalation along LoC is seen as attempt to distract Pakistan army from fighting terrorism

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday refuted Indian allegations regarding a Pakistani fishing boat which evaded capture at the hands of the Indian navy in a high-speed chase at sea, as baseless and preposterous, according to the Foreign Office.

Lamenting that Pakistan is worst hit by terrorism, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said, “On the other hand, the people of Pakistan see the escalation of tension by India on the Line of Control and working boundary, through continuous unprovoked firing and targeting of civilians, as an attempt to distract our armed forces from its valiant mission against all terrorists.”

“The baseless and preposterous Indian allegations regarding the so called “terror boat” from Pakistan are also in the same vein,” she added.

On January 2, the Indian government claimed a Pakistani fishing boat laden with explosives bound for India blew up, killing all four people on board, after the Indian coast guard tried to stop and search it.

It was not possible to independently verify the Indian account. However, in a first reaction, Pakistan’s foreign ministry had said it was unclear whether the incident had happened at all.

Further, terming the Indian spokesperson’s allegations regarding the ‘sightings’ of Punjabi and Urdu speaking terrorist elements in Afghanistan as 'baseless' and 'malicious,' the Foreign Office spokesperson said, “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.”

Reiterating Pakistan’s resolve to counter terrorism, Aslam said, “Our armed forces are successfully conducting a comprehensive and across the board Operation Zarb-e-Azb to root out terrorism.”