Boat row: Pakistan rejects India's claims as baseless, preposterous

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan today termed as "baseless and preposterous" India's assertions that the boat, which exploded off the Gujarat coast during an Indian Coast Guard operation, belonged to it.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam also blamed India for escalation of tension on the Line of Control and Working Boundary, alleging it is an attempt to distract Pakistani armed forces from its fight against terrorists.

"The baseless and preposterous allegations by India regarding the so called terror boat from Pakistan are also in the same vein," she said.

Aslam said Pakistan is determined to eradicate terrorism from its territory and its armed forces are successfully conducting a comprehensive and across the board operation 'Zarb-e-Azb' to root out terrorism.

On India's claim about citings of Punjabi/Urdu speaking terrorist elements in Afghanistan, she said it is "equally baseless and malicious" allegation.

"India is reminded to refrain from attempts to create misunderstanding between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the two brotherly nations bound by common destiny, shared culture, history and religion," Aslam said.

The spokesperson said "India's efforts to malign Pakistan are in violation of all international norms".

India's Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar yesterday said that "circumstantial evidence" indicated that the occupants of the vessel were "suspected or possible terrorists" and that they were in touch with Pakistani maritime officials and army.

The boat with four people on board "exploded" and sank in the Arabian Sea in the intervening night of December 31 and January one during an Indian Coast Guard operation.