India on Friday rejected the Pakistan foreign minister’s claim that the Indian and Afghan spy agencies were behind a suicide attack on a bus last month that killed nine Chinese nationals, saying it was an attempt to deflect global attention from Pakistan’s “role as the epicentre of regional instability”.

Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi contended on Thursday that the bombing was carried out by terrorists backed by the Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies. He claimed an investigation revealed a “nexus of Indian RAW and Afghan NDS” in the attack, referring to the intelligence agencies of the two countries. Qureshi told a news conference that the Pakistani Taliban carried out the attack.

“As per our investigation, the Afghan soil was used for this incident…about its planning and its execution, we’re seeing a clear nexus between NDS and RAW,” he added. External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi rubbished Qureshi’s allegations and described them as “absurd comments”. He added, “This is yet another attempt by Pakistan to malign India, in a bid to deflect international attention from its role as the epicentre of regional instability and a safe haven for proscribed terrorists.”

The developments come at a time when India’s relations with Pakistan and China are strained. Indian troops have been engaged in a standoff with China forces along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh for more than a year, and relations between New Delhi and Islamabad have been troubled over a string of terror attacks in recent years.

News Source : Week.in