New Delhi, March 12: India on Thursday trashed Islamabad’s allegations of an Indian hand in the recent clashes between Pakistani troops and the Taliban and asserted that no amount of “storytelling” will alter the fact that Pakistan backs cross-border terrorism.
New Delhi also rejected Pakistan’s criticism of the India-Canada uranium deal, describing Islamabad’s reaction to it as “ludicrous” and an attempt to distract attention from its own “abysmal record”.
It has become “second nature” for Pakistan to blame India for its misdeeds, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Islamabad’s allegations relating to the Pakistan-Taliban border conflict.
“I would like to say that we reject such baseless allegations. It has become second nature for Pakistan to blame India for its misdeeds,” Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.
“As a state sponsor of terrorism for decades, Pakistan has zero credibility when it comes to cross-border terrorism. No amount of storytelling is going to alter this reality, nor is anyone fooled by Pakistan’s assumed victimhood,” he said.
Jaiswal was responding to a question on the issue.
Pakistan had accused Afghanistan’s Taliban of becoming India’s “proxy”.
The border regions between Pakistan and Afghanistan witnessed a fresh spell of deadly conflict in the last couple of weeks.
Late last month, the Pakistani military carried out air strikes inside Afghanistan.
Jaiswal also lambasted Pakistan for its comments on the India-Canada uranium deal.
“We reject the statement made by Pakistan on the matter. India’s credentials regarding non-proliferation are impeccable and well recognised by the global community,” he said.
“A country with a well-documented history of clandestine nuclear proliferation can hardly preach the virtues of export controls and proliferation risks. Such ludicrous statements are nothing more than an attempt by Pakistan to distract from its own abysmal record,” he said.
India had signed the USD 2.6 billion agreement with Canada on March 2 during Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to New Delhi. Under the deal, Saskatoon-based Cameco will supply nearly 22 million pounds of uranium to India for nuclear energy generation from 2027 to 2035.
Islamabad had questioned the uranium deal saying it could indirectly help India expand its nuclear arsenals.
“Assured external uranium supplies effectively release India’s domestic reserves for military use, enabling the expansion of its fissile material stockpiles, accelerating the growth of its nuclear arsenal,” a Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson had alleged. (PTI)
