Indian diplomat summoned by Pak over military aggression protest

Pakistan on Sunday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner to lodge a protest against any "military aggression" by India. Dunya News reported that Pakistan's Foreign Ministry has warned India of any misadventure in the upcoming days.

The warning came after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a statement on Sunday alleged that India was "hatching a new plot and may resort to military aggression" against the country between April 16 and 20, according to Pakistan media. "Pakistan has reliable intelligence inputs that India is hatching a new plot and may resort to military aggression against Pakistan between April 16-20," he said during a presser.

"An incident similar to Pulwama could recur in the occupied Kashmir Valley," Ary News quoted him as claiming, referring to the Jaish-e-Mohammed perpetrated February 14 Pulwama terror attack. However, India rejected Qureshi's claims, dubbing it as "irresponsible and preposterous" statement made by Pakistan "with a clear objective of whipping up war hysteria in the region."

"This public gimmick appears to be a call to Pakistan-based terrorists to undertake a terror attack in India," official spokesperson of India's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "It has been made clear to Pakistan that it cannot absolve itself of responsibility of a cross border terrorist attack in India," the spokesperson added.

India further noted that no attempt at creating an alibi for its complicity in such attacks will succeed. "Pakistan needs to take credible and irreversible steps against terrorism operating from all territories under its control rather than making hysterical statements to obfuscate the core issue that bedevils our region: cross- border terrorism," the spokesperson said.

"Pakistan has been advised to use established diplomatic and DGMO channels to share any actionable and credible intelligence it has about imminent terror attacks," the statement noted. "India reserves the right to respond firmly and decisively to any cross border terrorist attack," it added. 

(With inputs from agencies.)