President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday said that India was "supporting militancy and terrorism" in Afghanistan and using the neighbouring country's soil for hybrid warfare in Pakistan.

A statement issued by the President's Secretariat quoted Alvi as saying that terrorist activities in the country, including the recent blast in Lahore's Johar Town, the attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange last year and the network operated by Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, were "carried out with Indian support to destabilise Pakistan".

"India is hatching conspiracies against Pakistan to destabilise it by funding militant organisations to carry out terrorist activities," the president said while addressing participants of the 7th National Workshop on Balochistan. He added that India would "not succeed in [its] evil designs" because Pakistan's armed forces were fully capable of overcoming security challenges, especially the fifth-generation war.

Talking about Balochistan, he said the government was "seriously focusing" on the social and economic uplift of the province. The Gwadar port, along with projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), would improve the lives of the people of Balochistan, he added.

The president highlighted the "enormous opportunities" that would be brought to Balochistan as a result of CPEC when other regional countries, particularly Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, would use CPEC for their own exports and conduct their trade through the Gwadar port.

The minerals and fishery sectors of Balochistan had "immense potential" and the federal government was taking serious steps to utilise their potential for the benefit of the people of Balochistan, President Alvi said.

He appreciated the fact that the political and military leadership of the country was taking a keen interest in the development of Balochistan, the statement said.

"Pakistan is emerging and the economic policies of the government have started paying dividends as evident from the economic indicators which were on upward trajectory.

"Pakistan has been making sincere efforts to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan," the statement quoted Alvi as saying, adding that he stressed the need for a peaceful political settlement to the existing situation in Afghanistan.

Last week, National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf had said evidence gathered during the investigation of the blast in Lahore's Johar Town clearly pointed to "Indian-sponsored terrorism".

He said the mastermind of the attack which killed three people and left 24 others injured "is an Indian citizen and he is associated with [Indian intelligence agency] RAW".

NSA Yusuf said Pakistan had been repeatedly saying that India was involved in terrorism against Pakistan.