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March 10 , 2017

Pakistan rejects Indian concerns over terrorists’ movement along LoC

Pak-Indian DGMOs establish contact on hotline; FO expresses concern over release of Ajmer Sharif Dargah bombing suspect

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday strongly rejected Indian concerns over terrorists’ movement along the Line of Control (LoC).

According to a tweet of Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor, in a hotline conversation between the Director Generals Military Operations (DGMOs) of Pakistan and India, Pakistan rejected Indian concern on terrorists’ movement along the LoC and the Indian Army was asked to look inward and share evidence.

Pakistan was informed that two young Pakistani students, Faisal Hussain Awan and Ahsan Khursheed, will be returned through the Wagah border today (Friday) after being found innocent.Later, spokesman at the Foreign Office also confirmed that even at the diplomatic level the case of these two students was being taken up on a daily basis.

“According to Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the National Investigation Agency (India’s top anti-terror agency) has completed investigations and not found anything against them (two boy students). I have just been informed that they will be repatriated through the Attari/Wagah border,” he said.

They were arrested in the Gawathan area of Uri where 19 Indians were killed after an army base was attacked, and it turned out that the boys had fled their village in Azad Kashmir because of problems with their parents.

The Indian media noted that the two students were released and handed over to the Army 16 Corps Headquarters, after they were proved to be innocent and not involved in the Uri militant attack.

Both were put in Jammu’s Kot Bhalwal jail. Their statements, data gathered from their mobile phones and other evidence “did not reveal any linkage of the suspects with the attackers at Uri. Further investigation is continuing in the case,” the NIA said.

In reality, the real spy who has been arrested is Kulbhushan Yadav, a serving Indian naval officer, who was working for the Indian intelligence agency RAW and apprehended by Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies in March, 2016.

“He confessed to his involvement in subversive and terrorist activities in Pakistan. The matter has already been taken up with India, the response to which is still awaited,” said the spokesman.

However, there was surprise in Pakistan and in India when an Indian court freed alleged militant of the 2007 bombing of Ajmer Sharif Dargah, Swami Aseemanand, while handing down a ‘guilty’ verdict to three Hindu extremists also accused of the 2007 attack. Swami Aseemanand was also involved in the Samjhauta

Express attack and had confessed that together with Indian Colonel Parohit they had been behind the attack in which several Pakistanis were killed.“Swami Aseemanand made a confession. You know that Samjhauta Express terrorist attack took place in February 2007.

If I recall correctly, in December 2010, Swami Aseemanand made a public confession that he was the mastermind of this attack, along with Abhinav Bharat’s head, Colonel Parohit, who was a serving army officer. In that terrorist attack, mostly Pakistanis were killed,” the spokesman said.

However, Pakistan sees a positive move when India after exhausting all its rhetoric has agreed to a meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission, which is a regular meeting under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

“It seems that finally India is realising the importance of the mechanism under the IWT for resolving water disputes related to the Indus River and its tributaries,” said the spokesman.Pakistan also expressed concern over the growing Indian conventional and strategic capabilities, particularly its nuclearisation of the Indian Ocean and the testing of inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBM) with a range of more than 5,000 kilometres.

“This should be a source of concern for countries in the region and beyond. Pakistan, while remaining committed to the avoidance of any kind of arms race in the region, will continue to take appropriate measures to maintain strategic stability in the region and to ensure its national security,” noted the spokesman.

India’s massive arms-buying spree, making it one of the top arms-importers in the world, is driven by its desire for regional hegemony and global power status.“Pakistan, on the other hand, has been compelled to acquire and maintain a deterrent capability to ensure its national security.

Pakistan never wanted to engage in any kind of arms race, nuclear or conventional. We have long maintained that the two countries need to engage in a meaningful dialogue for mutual restraint measures and conflict resolution for lasting peace and stability in South Asia,” added the spokesman.

 

Courtesy www.thenews.com.pk


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