Train attack: India rebuts Pakistan's terrorism allegations

New Delhi, March 14: In response to accusations from Pakistan that India was “sponsoring terrorism,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs strongly refuted the claims. Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said “We strongly reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan. The whole world knows where the epicenter of global terrorism lies,” Jaiswal stated. “Pakistan should look inwards instead of pointing fingers and shifting the blame for its own internal problems and failures on to others.”

The accusations arose following a militant attack on the Jaffar Express train in Baluchistan on Tuesday, which claimed the lives of 21 passengers and resulted in a prolonged hostage situation. During a press briefing, as reported by PTI, Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan claimed that militants involved in the attack had been in contact with planners based in Afghanistan throughout the incident.

“Terrorists were in direct communications with Afghanistan-based planners throughout the incident,” Khan said, reiterating that Pakistan has repeatedly urged Afghanistan to prevent groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) from using its territory to launch attacks.

Khan called on Afghanistan to hold “perpetrators, organisers, and financiers” accountable and to cooperate with Pakistan in ensuring all those responsible—including “the real sponsors of terrorism”—are brought to justice.

When questioned about Pakistan’s previous tendency to implicate India in such incidents, Khan insisted that there was no change in policy as reported by PTI news agency.

“There is no shift in our policy. And again, the facts have not changed. India is involved in sponsoring terrorism against Pakistan. What I was referring to was, in this particular incident, we have evidence of calls being traced to Afghanistan,” he explained.

Khan further accused India of destabilizing regional peace, claiming New Delhi was conducting a “global assassination campaign” to weaken neighbouring nations.

“In our region, unfortunately, we have many forces against peace who do not want to see Pakistan reap the dividends of its unprecedented and sincere efforts in counter-terrorism and in building a peaceful region,” Khan said.

He alleged that the recent attack on the Jaffar Express had been “orchestrated and directed by terrorist ring leaders operating from abroad.” Khan also criticized Indian media, accusing it of “glorifying the BLA,” which he claimed reflected India’s alleged complicity in promoting instability in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Pakistan reaffirmed its March 31 deadline for Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders to leave the country. Khan emphasized that this measure was part of Pakistan’s comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy that combines military action, intelligence-led operations, and diplomatic efforts.

“We had a special provision… regarding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC). They were also given some extraordinary relaxation. It was a step that the government of Pakistan took, by allowing them to stay, but it was not an indefinite leave to stay. Now the government has decided that people with ACC should leave the country by March 31. Beyond that, they will be deemed illegal residents in Pakistan, and the law will take its course,” he said