The Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday rejected Pakistan Army’s accusations over India’s involvement in a suicide attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday.
“We have seen an official statement by the Pakistan Army seeking to blame India for the attack in Waziristan on 28 June. We reject this statement with the contempt it deserves,” it said in an official statement.
At least 16 Pakistani soldiers were killed after a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a military convoy, while two dozen, including army personnel and civilians, were injured. The attack was claimed by the suicide bomber wing of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur armed group, a faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and termed it a “cowardly act”, a statement from his office said. Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir said any attempt to undermine the internal stability of the country will be met with swift retribution, while the military claimed, without evidence, that the attack was executed by an Indian proxy.
The explosion also caused the roofs of two houses to collapse, injuring six children, according to a police officer in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The lawless province next to neighbouring Afghanistan has seen an increase in violent attacks recently.
In mid-March, the TTP announced a “spring campaign” against security forces, threatening “ambushes, targeted attacks, suicide attacks and strikes”. The TTP has since claimed responsibility for around 100 attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Around 290 people, mostly security officials, have been killed in attacks since the start of the year by armed groups fighting the government in both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to an AFP tally.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban government in Kabul of failing to eliminate militants who take refuge on Afghan soil to prepare attacks against Pakistan. The Taliban government denies these accusations and in return accuses Pakistan of harbouring “terrorist” cells on its soil.
(With agency inputs)
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