NEW DELHI, March 14: India has strongly rejected Pakistan’s allegations that New Delhi is behind the ethnic violence occurring in Pakistan, particularly in the restive Balochistan region. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) responded to media queries on Friday, calling the accusations baseless and asserting that Pakistan should look inwards instead of blaming others for its internal issues.

MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal issued a statement saying, “We strongly reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan. The whole world knows where the epicenter of global terrorism lies. Pakistan should look inwards instead of pointing fingers and shifting the blame for its own internal problems and failures onto others.”

The accusations by Pakistan came after the recent hijacking of the Jaffar Express, a train traveling from Quetta to Peshawar. The attack, which lasted around 30 hours, was claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), resulting in the deaths of 21 hostages and four security personnel. Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan suggested the attack was orchestrated from abroad, though he did not directly implicate India. He stated that the rebels were in constant communication with their handlers based in Afghanistan during the siege.

In response, the Pakistani official reiterated accusations against India, claiming that India continues to sponsor terrorism against Pakistan. However, he also pointed out that in this specific incident, calls from Afghanistan had been traced, linking the attack to external forces. Despite not directly naming India, the official reaffirmed Pakistan’s stance on the matter, asserting that India was involved in sponsoring terrorism against Pakistan, with no change in the country’s policy.