Pakistan rejects Indian claim

Published August 29, 2002

ISLAMABAD, Aug 28: Pakistan on Wednesday rejected the Indian External Affairs Minister’s recent claim that movement across Line of Control could not occur without the help of Pakistan Army.

“The assertion in incorrect and self-serving,” a foreign office spokesman said in a statement.

Mr Sinha should have held the Indian Army, which is deployed in great strength along the LoC, responsible for any movement into the held Kashmir.

The government of Pakistan was neither encouraging nor sponsoring any cross-LoC movement, he said and added that in fact measures had been put in place to prevent such movement. However, as has been clarified repeatedly it is not possible to completely seal the LoC.

It is unfortunate that despite being fully aware of the ground situation, the Indian External Affairs Minister had chosen to score propaganda points, the spokesman added.