Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday reacted sharply to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's remarks that India will have to give a strong response to cross-border terrorism, saying there must not be any "miscalculation" about its resolve to thwart any "aggression".
A week after 11 security personnel were killed in terror attacks in Kashmir, Parrikar said, "I feel that there has to be some strong response which will once and for all or at least reduce these blatant attempts. It's an open secret that they (militants) came from Pakistan." Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam dismissed this assertion as "unfounded allegations".
"These unfounded allegations and provocative statements are not conducive to peace in the region," Aslam said.
"There must not be any miscalculation about Pakistan's resolve to defend itself and thwart any aggression," she said. Parrikar had made the remarks after his first official visit to Kashmir to review the security situation. His comments came in reply to a question on whether India's responses to militant attacks in the Kashmir Valley have been effective.
Last week, India had said Pakistan's support to UN-designated terrorist and Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed and his proscribed Jamaat-ud-Dawah was "nothing short of mainstreaming of terrorism." Pakistan government had provided logistical support to a two-day congregation in Lahore last week which was organised by the JuD.
Pakistan says there is no case against Saeed and that he is free to move in the country as a Pakistani national. India and Pakistan have been involved in a war of words after New Delhi cancelled the Foreign Secretary-level meeting in August after Pakistan's envoy in India met Kashmiri separatists ahead of the talks.
