India on Friday rejected Pakistan’s allegations about Delhi’s involvement in a terrorist attack at the Chinese consulate in Karachi last year, PTI reported. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar labelled Pakistan’s claims as “fabricated and scurrilous”.
“We have seen statements in the Pakistani media attributed to the police chief of Karachi making false allegations against India for the terrorist attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi in November, 2018,” Kumar said. “We completely reject these fabricated and scurrilous attempts to levy accusations on India.”
“Instead of maliciously pointing fingers at others for such terrorist incidents, Pakistan needs to look inwards and undertake credible action against support to terrorism and terror infrastructure in its territories,” he added.
At least four persons were killed after after gunmen opened fire outside the Chinese consulate in Karachi on November 23 and tried to storm the building. Three terrorists were also killed in the incident. A separatist insurgent group called the Balochistan Liberation Army had claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Karachi Police on Friday claimed to have arrested five suspects involved in the attack, The News reported. The police also claimed that the plan to attack the consulate was made in Afghanistan, while India’s external spy agency Research and Analysis Wing provided funding.
India had strongly condemned the attack. “We condole loss of lives in this dastardly attack,” the Ministry of External Affairs had said in a statement. “There can be no justification whatsoever for any act of terrorism. The perpetrators of this heinous attack should be brought to justice expeditiously.”
At a press conference on Friday, Karachi Police chief Amir Sheikh claimed the arrested men had confessed to their role in facilitating the three attackers. “The purpose behind the attack was to create a rift between Pakistan and China as well as to sabotage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor,” Sheikh said.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. India has opposed the project as part of it will pass through disputed territory in Kashmir.
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