Indian commander: Pakistan spy agency involved in Kashmir bombing

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India's top military commander in the disputed Kashmir region said Tuesday Pakistan's main Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency was involved in the Kashmir bombing killed over 40 people last week. Pakistan Prime Minister denied, saying that tensions can only ease with dialogue.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Tuesday his country had nothing to do with a suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian troopers in Kashmir. Khan said India had "leveled allegations against Pakistan without any evidence" and his government was ready to cooperate with New Delhi in investigating the blast in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Pakistan rejects Indian allegations over suicide attack in Kashmir

Earlier, India's Lieutenant-General K.J.S. Dhillon accused Pakistan of being involved in the Kashmir bombing, “It was being controlled from across by ISI and Pakistan and the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) commanders,” he said without providing any proof for the accusation.

He also claimed that the leaders behind the attack were being tracked, and it had been orchestrated from the Pakistani side of the border.

Indian civilians light candles as they pay tribute to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel killed on February 14, during an attack on a CRPF convoy in the Lethpora area of Kashmir, in Kolkata, February 15, 2019. /VCG Photo

“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.

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 the Jaish.

Pakistan demands investigation

Pakistan demanded India conduct an open and credible investigation into the attack to back up its claims. It condemned the bombing and denied any complicity. On Tuesday, it appealed to the United Nations to intervene, in light of the deteriorating security situation.

“Attributing it to Pakistan even before investigations is absurd,” Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in a letter to the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres seeking the UN involvement to lower tension.

Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel hold candles and pay tribute to their colleagues in Hyderabad on February 15, 2019. /VCG Photo

“It is with a sense of urgency that I draw your attention to the deteriorating security situation in our region resulting from the threat of use of force against Pakistan by India,” he said.

“It is imperative to take steps for de-escalation. The United Nations must step in to defuse tensions,” he wrote, blaming India for deliberately ratcheting up its hostile rhetoric for domestic political reasons.

The suicide car bombing happened on a Kashmir road on Thursday was claimed responsibility by the JeM militant group claimed responsibility.

The neighbors have fought three wars since 1947, two of them over Kashmir. They have fought countless skirmishes along their de facto border, which the United Nations monitors, in the Himalayan region.

(Cover: Indian Muslims hold placards and shout slogans against Pakistan during a protest in Mumbai on February 15, 2019. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Reuters