NEW DELHI, July 4: India on Thursday rubbished Islamabad’s charge that New Delhi had plucked Pakistani prisoners from Afghanistan to use them for propaganda, but Pakistani officials said the entire incident appeared designed to insinuate that Al Qaeda guerillas had infiltrated into Kashmir.

“We have it from Central Asian diplomats that India has airlifted some Pakistani prisoners to use them to project its thesis already frowned upon by the world that Al Qaeda terrorists were now heading for Kashmir,” one Pakistani official told Dawn.

The controversy whether Al Qaeda men were present near the Line of Control was first triggered by US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld last month who agreed during his New Delhi visit that there might be some members of the dreaded group present near the LoC. Rumsfeld subsequently denied in Islamabad that he had any evidence to support his vague claim.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke to Yashwant Sinha, the new minister of external affairs, to greet him on Thursday. Diplomats said Powell had appreciated India’s efforts to hold the tenuous peace with Pakistan. He also encouraged Sinha with words in support of a diplomatic dialogue that should resume soon between New Delhi and Islamabad.

However, India on Thursday told Britain, if not the United States, that there could be no military de-escalation on the border if Pakistan did not stop “cross-border terrorism”.

This was made clear during the talks that visiting British Defence Secretary Geoffrey Hoon had with National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra and Yashwant Sinha, Press Trust of India quoted unidentified official sources as saying.

Responding to reports of Islamabad’s claim on the airlifting of Pakistani prisoners from Afghanistan, an Indian foreign ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying: “The allegations are complete rubbish and part of a disinformation campaign orchestrated by Pakistan to cover up for such people who might earlier have infiltrated into India.

“In the past week, there have been three infiltration attempts that were interdicted,” the spokesperson added.

Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider had claimed earlier that Islamabad had evidence that some Pakistani prisoners were handed over to India from Afghanistan through a central Asian state.

Some reports quoted Pakistani officials as saying that about 30 Pakistanis were plucked by helicopter from a prison in northern Afghanistan last month and flown to Tajikistan and subsequently, airlifted to India last week.

Pakistani officials were quoted as suggesting the transfer of the prisoners was arranged by warlords aligned with the Tajik-dominated Northern Alliance without the knowledge of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Karzai has already freed hundreds of Pakistanis and more are awaiting scrutiny by Afghan officials.