India on Friday firmly dismissed Pakistan’s accusations of “sponsoring terrorism,” asserting that the world is well aware of the true “epicenter of global terrorism.” The rebuttal came after Islamabad alleged India’s involvement in terror activities but refrained from directly linking it to the recent Balochistan train attack, which resulted in the deaths of 21 passengers.
“We strongly reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan. The whole world knows where the epicenter of global terrorism lies,” said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. “Pakistan should look inwards instead of pointing fingers and shifting the blame for its own internal problems and failures onto others.”
Pakistan’s Allegations and India’s Response
Pakistan’s accusations followed a brutal attack on the Jaffar Express on Tuesday, leading to a prolonged 24-hour hostage crisis. While Pakistan has frequently claimed that India supports Baloch separatist groups, its Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan pointed to Afghanistan as the source of the attack’s coordination this time.
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“There is no shift in our policy. And again, the facts have not changed. India is involved in sponsoring terrorism against Pakistan,” Khan insisted. “What I was referring to was, in this particular incident, we have evidence of calls being traced to Afghanistan. This is what I said.”
Khan went on to accuse India of running a “global assassination campaign” and destabilizing its neighboring countries. He also criticized Indian media, alleging that it was “glorifying the BLA,” referring to the Balochistan Liberation Army, which Pakistan considers a terrorist organization.
Afghanistan Rejects Pakistan’s Claims
In addition to blaming India, Pakistan called upon Afghanistan to take responsibility, alleging that the attackers maintained direct contact with “Afghanistan-based planners throughout the incident.” Khan urged the Taliban-led government in Kabul to ensure that its territory is not used for militant activities against Pakistan.
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“We urge Afghanistan to hold the perpetrators, organizers, and financiers of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and cooperate with the government of Pakistan to bring all those who are concerned with this attack, including the real sponsors of terrorism, to justice,” he added.
However, Afghanistan swiftly rejected these allegations. Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi dismissed Pakistan’s claims, advising Islamabad to focus on its own internal security challenges rather than making “irresponsible remarks.”
Pakistan’s Stance on Afghan Citizen Card Holders
Beyond the terrorism allegations, Pakistan reaffirmed its stance on Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders, maintaining that the March 31 deadline for their departure remained unchanged.
“We had a special provision regarding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC). They were also given some extraordinary relaxation. It was a step that the government of Pakistan took, by allowing them to stay, but it was not an indefinite leave to stay. Now the government has decided that people with ACC should leave the country by March 31. Beyond that, they will be deemed illegal residents in Pakistan, and the law will take its course,” Khan stated.
