ISLAMABAD: India on Tuesday claimed that two Muzaffarabad-based guides had facilitated the Uri army base attackers, with the authorities saying that they had shared “evidence” with Pakistan’s High Commissioner to New Delhi Abdul Basit.
Pakistan promptly rejected India’s baseless allegations of its involvement in the Uri attack. Abdul Basit told Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar that India was trying to divert the world’s attention from atrocities being committed by Indian forces in India-held Kashmir (IHK) by blaming the Uri attack on Pakistan.
“If India is sincere in carrying out an investigation of the Uri attack then it should not run away from it. India should allow independent investigators to carry out an investigation into the attack,” Basit told Jaishankar.
The Indian foreign secretary summoned Basit to hand over the ‘evidence’, Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted.
Jaishankar alleged that local villagers apprehended two Muzaffarabad-based ‘guides’ that India claims facilitated the Uri army base attackers.
Swarup tweeted details of the guides, identifying them as Faizal Hussain Awan, 20, son of Gul Akbar and a resident of Potha Jahangir, Muzaffarabad, and Yasin Khurshid, 19, son of Muhammad Khurshid and a resident of Khiliana Kalan, Muzaffarabad.
“Preliminary interrogation reveals identity of one of the slain Uri attackers as Hafiz Ahmed, son of Feroz and a resident of Dharbang, Muzaffarabad,” he alleged. “Details of the handlers were also obtained.” The Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman identified the alleged handlers as Mohammad Kabir Awan and Basharat.
Earlier this month, 18 Indian soldiers were killed in an attack on the Uri army base in IHK. India accused Pakistan of involvement immediately after the attack, terming it a ‘terrorist state’.
More than 100 Kashmiris have been killed, hundreds blinded and thousands injured in clashes with government forces since Burhan Wani’s murder in July.
