QUETTA, Jan 24: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Nisar A. Memon has said that India should close down its so-called information centres in Afghanistan because their involvement in acts of terrorism in Pakistan cannot be ruled out.

Addressing a press conference during a brief visit to Quetta on Thursday, he said that terrorism had come into Pakistan through the Afghan channel and India had opened around a dozen information centres close to the Pakistani border without any justification. If India wanted to improve relations with Pakistan it should close down these so-called information centres, the minister said.

He objected to Indian naval chief’s recent statement about the Gwadar port and termed it interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan. He said it indicated their involvement in terrorist activities taking place in different parts of Pakistan.

Mr Memon said: “We have serious concerns over the statement of the Indian naval chief and Pakistan will lodge a strong protest regarding it through diplomatic channels.”

Referring to the Indian information centres in Afghanistan, he said: “These so-called information centres are being used for spreading disinformation and their involvement in terrorism cannot be ruled out.”

He said Pakistan would not tolerate interference of India or any other country in its internal affairs. “Such statements could affect Pak-India relations,” he warned, and said no Pakistani was involved in attacks on Chinese engineers. He said that agents of those elements who were against the development of Pakistan were involved in the killing of Chinese engineers.