FO rubbishes India's 'baseless assertions' linking Pakistan to arrests of terror suspects

Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Monday rejected allegations by Indian Home Minister Amit Shah linking Pakistan to the recent arrests of suspected militants in India, describing the claims as baseless and part of a campaign against Pakistan.

Earlier, Shah said Indian security agencies had arrested more than 200 people allegedly connected to a Pakistan-backed terrorist network.

He claimed the arrests, carried out across 14 Indian states on August 12, had prevented possible attacks ahead of India’s Independence Day. Indian authorities also said they recovered weapons, ammunition, grenades and explosives allegedly carrying Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings.

Responding to the allegations, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi strongly denied any Pakistani connection to the arrests. He accused India of using such claims to divert attention from its own domestic security problems and to gain political advantage by portraying Pakistan as responsible.

Andrabi also alleged that India was involved in state-sponsored terrorism and attempts to destabilise Pakistan.

He pointed to the case of former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is serving a sentence in Pakistan, as evidence that Islamabad says demonstrates Indian involvement in subversive activities.

The spokesperson urged the international community to reject what Pakistan described as unfounded Indian allegations and instead hold India accountable for alleged acts of terrorism and destabilisation in the region. He said Pakistan had repeatedly presented what it considers evidence of Indian involvement in such activities.

The latest exchange comes amid continuing tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, with both countries regularly accusing each other of supporting militant groups.

Pakistan has previously raised similar allegations at international forums, including the United Nations, accusing India of supporting groups such as the TTP and BLA, while India has repeatedly accused Pakistan of backing cross-border terrorism.