India strongly rejected the accusation by Pakistan that it was responsible for bombing a school bus in Balochistan, calling the allegations ‘baseless’ and a diversion from Pakistan’s domestic issues and international reputation as a center of terror.
On Wednesday, Indian external affairs ministry official spokesman Randhir Jaiswal reacted to a statement made by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media outlet of the Pakistani army, that the bombing was ‘planned and orchestrated by [the] terrorist state of India and carried out by its proxies’.
Jaiswal strongly denied the accusations, saying: “India condoles the loss of lives in all such incidents,” but continued that, “in an attempt to divert attention from its reputation as the world epicentre of terrorism and to conceal its own gross shortcomings, it has become second nature for Pakistan to blame India for all its domestic problems.” He went on to say that this ‘bid to delude the world is bound to fail’.
The ISPR did not lay out any facts to prove its allegations, but claimed that “Indian proxies have been unleashed” to destabilize areas such as Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Balochistan, which is naturally rich, has long been faced with low numbers of people and an ongoing insurgency. Insurgents in the area have called for more autonomy and more in the province’s resources, which has caused years of turmoil.
The bombing attack came just days after a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan. It came on the heels of four days of cross-border fighting in which drones, missiles, and long-range guns were used. The clashes were said to be in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, prompting India to begin Operation Sindoor on May 7 against terror camps in Pakistan-occupied territory.
