ISLAMABAD, Feb 11: An official spokesman on Monday said that labelling Aftab Ansari, a suspected terrorist responsible for the attack on the American Center in Kolkata, as a Pakistani “will no longer be received with any credence.”
The spokesman was commenting on media reports quoting Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee as alleging that Aftab Ansari was holding a Pakistani passport.
“Labelling Aftab Ansari as a Pakistani or an Indian holding a Pakistani passport will no longer be received with any credence by international community, nor, indeed, in India itself,” the spokesman said answering a question.
He said it was particularly so when Mr Vajpayee referred to a conspiracy within India to flare up violence.
Moreover, the spokesman said, it was a matter of satisfaction that India was now admitting the fact that it had not been able to control violence and extremism in the country, particularly in relation with treatment of minorities.
The spokesman referred to the changing stances of the Indian government where it had been putting the blame on the ISI, then on Bangladesh, on its own organizations, and now again on Pakistan.
He said it was clearly an effort to create a situation before and during President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s visit to the United States. The spokesman said that he would not be surprised if India cooked up some other incident while the president was in the United States.
He said while Mr Vajpayee had conceded to pressure tactics of extremist elements within his own party through violent means, it was regrettable that he was blaming Pakistan for supporting terrorism and linking terrorists responsible for the attack in Kolkata to Pakistan.
The spokesman hoped that as admitted by Mr Vajpayee, the Indian government would look within their country for the elements “who were suffering from Indian policies of repression and were taking on to violence within its states and territories.”
He said Pakistan was opposed to all acts of terrorism everywhere, and added “India would be serving its own best interests if it stops looking for excuses outside its frontiers and concentrates on addressing issues within.”—APP
