- News>
- India
India rubbishes Pak charge of terrorist training camps
New Delhi, Aug 06: India today dismissed Pakistan`s charge of having terrorist training camps in this country and asked it to shed its `negative mindset` and seize the new spirit infused amongst the people of the two countries by the initiative taken by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
New Delhi, Aug 06: India today dismissed Pakistan's
charge of having terrorist training camps in this country and
asked it to shed its "negative mindset" and seize the new
spirit infused amongst the people of the two countries by the
initiative taken by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
"We are disappointed at the tone and substance of the
comments made by the Pakistan foreign ministry on August
four," external affairs ministry spokesman told reporters.
He was asked about comments by his Pakistani counterpart
relating to minorities in India. The Pakistani spokesman had
also regretted the recent remarks made by Vajpayee on the
Ayodhya issue. "It is the responsibility of the Indian
government to protect the places of worship of Muslims and
not incite communal violence," he had said.
The MEA spokesman said the increasingly aggressive tone
of the Pakistani spokesman's statements in the recent past
"suggests continuing unwillingness to acknowledge the failure
of the unproductive policies that Pakistan has pursued so
far".
He said Pakistan's record on minorities hardly entitled it to pronounce on treatment of minority issues in India. "Even Muslim minorities in Pakistan, leave alone other religious minorities, are insecure," he said.
On Islamabad's charge about the existence of training camps for terrorists in India, he said "the less said about the spokesman's egregious comments about terrorist training apparatus in India, the better. At least, he deserves high marks for originality of invention."
The MEA spokesman said, "We would once again call upon the government of Pakistan to seize the new spirit infused amongst the people of both countries by prime minister's initiative and shed its negative mindset."
Islamabad has held that no terrorists were being trained on Pakistani soil refuting allegation by George Fernandes that 3000 terrorists are present in Pakistani side of Kashmir.
Asked whether the latest war of words would impact on technical level talks between the two sides slated to be held in Islamabad later this month to discuss resumption of air links, the spokesman said "we are following a step-by-step process.
"We certainly hope that those talks will take place as scheduled. We have no reason to believe they won't," he added.
Bureau Report
He said Pakistan's record on minorities hardly entitled it to pronounce on treatment of minority issues in India. "Even Muslim minorities in Pakistan, leave alone other religious minorities, are insecure," he said.
On Islamabad's charge about the existence of training camps for terrorists in India, he said "the less said about the spokesman's egregious comments about terrorist training apparatus in India, the better. At least, he deserves high marks for originality of invention."
The MEA spokesman said, "We would once again call upon the government of Pakistan to seize the new spirit infused amongst the people of both countries by prime minister's initiative and shed its negative mindset."
Islamabad has held that no terrorists were being trained on Pakistani soil refuting allegation by George Fernandes that 3000 terrorists are present in Pakistani side of Kashmir.
Asked whether the latest war of words would impact on technical level talks between the two sides slated to be held in Islamabad later this month to discuss resumption of air links, the spokesman said "we are following a step-by-step process.
"We certainly hope that those talks will take place as scheduled. We have no reason to believe they won't," he added.
Bureau Report