India rejects Pakistan's allegation of planning attack, vows counter-terror actions

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has rejected "irresponsible and preposterous" Pakistan's claims of India planning an attack on the neighbours. In a statement on Sunday (April 7) night, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, "India rejects the irresponsible and preposterous statement by the Foreign Minister of 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 terror attack in India," he said. Pakistan has been advised to use the established diplomatic channels to "share actionable and credible intelligence" it has about terror attacks, he added.

"India reserves the right to respond firmly and decisively to cross-border terrorist attack," the spokesman said, adding said it has been made clear to Pakistan that it cannot absolve itself of responsibility of a cross border terrorist attack in India.

"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."

Earlier in the day, Reuters quoted Pakistan minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi as saying, "We have reliable intelligence that India is planning a new attack on Pakistan. As per our information, this could take place between April 16 and 20." Qureshi told the media that Islamabad had "reliable intelligence that India is devising a new plan" to attack Pakistan.

He did not elaborate on what evidence Pakistan had or how he could be so specific with the timing, but he said Prime Minister Imran Khan had agreed to share the information with the country.

"I am speaking responsibly, I hold a position of responsibility, and I know the words I utter will be picked up by the international media," he said.