Homeland Security

Pakistan emphatically rejects Indian accusations

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, Jan 6 ,IRNA -- Pakistan on Tuesday asked India to put a stop to the ‘blame game’ after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accused ‘some official agencies’ of involvement in the deadly Mumbai attacks.

The rejection came from the Foreign Office as well as the Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sherry Rehman after the Indian PM’s accusations.

‘The government of Pakistan emphatically rejects the unfortunate allegations levelled against Pakistan by the prime minister of India in New Delhi today,’ the foreign ministry said in a statement.

‘Instead of responding positively to Pakistan’s offer of cooperation and constructive proposals, India has chosen to embark on a propaganda offensive. It will not only ratchet up tensions but occlude facts and destroy all prospects of serious and objective investigations into the Mumbai attacks,’ it said.

‘Vilifying Pakistan or for that matter any of its state institutions on this score is unwarranted and unacceptable. This is a sure way to close avenues of cooperation in combating this menace,’ the foreign ministry said.

‘Pakistan is a victim of terrorism.... Pakistan is not a state sponsor of terrorism,’ it added.

‘Pakistan would not allow its soil to be used for acts of terrorism at home and abroad.’

The Indian premier unleashed his strongest accusation yet against Islamabad, one day after New Delhi handed over evidence which it said showed links between the Mumbai gunmen and ‘elements in Pakistan’.

Meanwhile, Information Minister Sherry Rehman, reacting to Singh’s remarks, urged the two sides to cooperate in the fight against terrorism and extremism.

‘We need to grow out of the blame game mode,’ she said in a statement.

‘Scoring points like this will only move us further away from focusing on the very real and present danger of regional and global terrorism,’ Rehman added.

‘It is our firm resolve to ensure that non-state actors do not use Pakistani soil to launch terrorist attacks anywhere in the world.’