New Delhi/Islamabad, September 27 (NIA): The Indian Foreign Secretary, S.Jaishankar, on Tuesday summoned Pakistan High Commissioner, Abdul Basit, to hand over evidence of the involvement of Pakistan-based persons in the militants’ attack on the Indian army’s administrative base at Uri in Kashmir on September 18.
But the Pakistani High Commissioner rejected the charge and Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khwaja Asif even said that India had staged the attack to divert attention from its atrocities in the Kashmir valley since July 8.
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted that Jaishankar said that local villagers apprehended two Muzaffarabad-based ‘guides’ who facilitated the Uri army base attackers.
Swarup tweeted details of the guides, identifying them as Faizal Hussain Awan, 20, son of Gul Akbar and a resident of Potha Jahangir, Muzaffarabad, and Yasin Khurshid, 19, son of Muhammad Khurshid and a resident of Khiliana Kalan, Muzaffarabad.
“Preliminary interrogation reveals identity of one of the slain Uri attackers as Hafiz Ahmed, son of Feroz and a resident of Dharbang Muzaffarabad,” he alleged.
“Details of the handlers were also obtained,” Swarup alleged. The Indian foreign ministry spokesman identified the alleged handlers as Mohammad Kabir Awan and Basharat.
“The foreign secretary terms continuing cross-border terrorist attacks from Pakistan against India as unacceptable,” Swarup said
But Pakistan promptly rejected Indian allegations of its involvement in the Uri army base attack, soon after Indian authorities said they had shared “evidence” with Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit.
Basit told Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar that India is trying to divert the world’s attention from atrocities being committed by Indian forces in India-held Kashmir (IHK) by blaming the Uri attack on Pakistan.
“If India is sincere in carrying out an investigation of the Uri attack then it should not run away from it. India should allow independent investigators to carry out an investigation into the attack,” Basit said.
India Staged Attack, Says Pakistan Defense Minister
Meanwhile in Islamabad, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif alleged that the assault on an Indian army base in Uri that killed 18 soldiers was a “plan devised by India itself”.
Maintaining that no proof implicating Pakistan in the Uri attack had surfaced yet, Asif told DawnNews that “it was evident the attack was a plan devised by India itself.”
He claimed that India “orchestrated Uri attack to divert the attention of the world from the Kashmir issue”. India has said it has evidence showing involvement of Pakistan-based terrorists in the Uri attack and demanded that Islamabad refrain from supporting and sponsoring terrorism directed against this country.
One of the four terrorists involved in the Uri attack has been identified as Hafiz from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Asif also threatened to use nuclear weapons in case of war with India, saying his country has not made atomic device to display in a showcase.
“We will destroy India if it dares to impose war on us. Pakistan army is fully prepared to answer any misadventure of India,” the Defence Minister told private TV channel SAMAA. He was replying to a question about India’s intention to carry out surgical strike in Pakistan. We have not made atomic device to display in a showcase. If a such a situation arises we will use it and eliminate India,” Asif said the channel.
He said Pakistan Air Force is ready to give a befitting response to India if it violates Pakistan’s airspace.
The Pakistani Minister claimed that the “entire world knows now that India is not as serious about resolving the Kashmir dispute as Pakistan is”.
He claimed India has not received support from anywhere despite launching a diatribe against Pakistan and added that China had, on the other hand, supported Pakistan’s viewpoint.
Commenting on a bill moved in the US Congress to label Pakistan as a terrorist state, he said that anti-Pakistan elements are present in each and every country but the impacts of their voices depend on the policies of these countries.
“Five or 10 voices raised against us are not enough evidence to declare Pakistan a terrorist state,” he said.
Meanwhile, military spokesman Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa has said Pakistan’s eastern borders are under close monitoring of the security forces who are ready to respond to any aggression.
