India: Pakistan involved in Kashmir attack
Indian PM promises strong response; Pakistan PM says it will retaliate
SRINAGAR: India's top military commander in the disputed Kashmir region said yesterday that Pakistan's main Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency was involved in an attack last week on a security convoy claimed by a Pakistan-based militant group.
At least 40 paramilitary men were killed in the suicide car bombing on a Kashmir road on Thursday. The Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant group has claimed responsibility.
Pakistan condemned the bombing and denied any complicity. Yesterday, it appealed to the United Nations to intervene, in light of the deteriorating security situation.
Lieutenant-General K.J.S. Dhillon told reporters that the leaders behind the attack were being tracked, and it had been orchestrated from the Pakistani side of the border.
"It was being controlled from across by ISI and Pakistan and JeM commanders," he said.
Lt-Gen Dhillon did not provide any proof for his accusation.
He said he could not be more specific about the investigation into the blast and the suspected role of the Pakistan military intelligence agency, except to note its close links with JeM.
"The JeM is a child of the Pakistan army and the ISI. The attack was masterminded by Pakistan, ISI and JeM," he said in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir state.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is facing an election this year, has promised a strong response to the attack, which has caused outrage across the country and sparked calls for retribution.
Several cricket fans and a sport official have called on India to boycott a World Cup match against Pakistan in June, while the Cricket Club of India has covered up a portrait of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan - himself a former cricketer - at its Mumbai office.
The All India Cine Workers Association called for a "total ban" on Pakistanis working in India's film industry, though they have been largely blacklisted from Bollywood since a similar attack in Kashmir in 2016 in which 19 soldiers died.
The Confederation of All India Traders called for a nationwide strike to protest against the attack.
Mr Khan said yesterday his country is ready to help India investigate the deadliest blast in Kashmir in decades, but it will retaliate if Delhi attacks.
He used a nationally televised address to demand Delhi share proof of Islamabad's involvement if India attacks. - REUTERS, AFP
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