Pakistan in denial mode; says India should give proof on terrorist

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan was today in denial mode over assertions from India that the terrorist caught alive after the ambush on a BSF convoy in Udhampur yesterday was a Pakistani national and asked New Delhi not to make "accusations" without proof.

Foreign Office Spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said at his weekly briefing that he had seen media reports that "a person has been arrested in India and is being projected as Pakistan national".

"I will not comment on media reports. We expect Indian authorities to share necessary information about him with us to enable verification of his national status," Khalilullah said reacting to statements from India on the Pakistani origins of Mohammed Naved Yakub.

"Pakistan affirmed many times that terrorism is our common enemy and requires a cooperative approach to combat the menace rather than a blame game. Pointing fingers without investigations and evidence is not a healthy trend, on the part of Indian media," he said.

"We have repeatedly asked India to refrain from accusations," Khalilullah said.

"We have said many times that making immediate accusations on Pakistan is not correct. These things should be based on facts. We expect that whenever Pakistan is being accused of something, it shall be accompanied by concrete evidence," he said.

Like Ajmal Kasab, an LeT terrorist who was caught alive during the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, Naved was nabbed by villagers after the ambush he had launched along with another terrorist on a BSF convoy, killing two constables in Udhampur yesterday.

Pakistan had always denied Kasab belonged to it and refused to accept his body after he was hanged in 2012 after trial under due process of law.

Separately, a Pakistan government source was quoted by the Express Tribune as saying, "National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) record shows Indian claims of an arrested person, Usman Khan (Mohammed Naved Yakub), originating from Pakistan are totally baseless."

Armed with AK assault rifles, Naved, son of Mohammed Yakub and resident of Ghulam Mustafabad area in Faislabad town of Pakistan, along with another terrorist Noman alias Momin, fired at a BSF convoy on the highway at Simroli. BSF jawans retaliated killing Noman while Naved was later captured alive.

Pakistani officials were quoted by media reports as saying that there was no record of the man arrested in India.

Geo TV also reported that the man arrested in India was not registered with NADRA.