Imran seeks actionable intelligence over Pulwama; India hits back hard

Islamabad/New Delhi: India Tuesday hit out at Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan over his statement on the Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 soldiers were killed by a suicide bomber, and said he should "stop misleading the world" and take "credible and visible action" against terror masterminds operating from its soil.

New Delhi also ripped into Imran Khan's insinuation that India's attacks on Pakistan were linked to the election ahead. "It is regrettable that the Pakistani Prime Minister has insinuated that India's response to the terrorist attack is determined by the forthcoming General Election. India rejects this false allegation. India's democracy is a model for the world which Pakistan would never understand," said a foreign ministry statement.

The government also dismissed as a "lame excuse" Imran Khan's "offer" to investigate, "if given proof", the role of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed.

"Disclaiming any link between the terrorist attack and Pakistan is an oft-repeated excuse by Pakistan. The Pakistani Prime Minister has ignored claims made by the Jaish-e-Mohammad, as well as by the terrorist, who perpetrated this heinous crime. It is a well-known fact that Jaish-e-Mohammad and its leader Masood Azhar are based in Pakistan. These should be sufficient proof for Pakistan to take action," said the statement.

Referring to the cricketer-turned-politician's pet theme of "Naya (new) Pakistan", India said ministers of the current government publicly shared platforms with terrorists like Hafeez Saeed, who had been proscribed by the UN.

Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday assured India that action would be taken against the perpetrators of the Pulwama attack if New Delhi shares "actionable intelligence", but warned against any retaliatory action on his country.

In a video message to the nation, Khan responded to the Indian allegations on Pakistan's involvement in the attack in Kashmir on last Thursday. Stating that Pakistan wants "stability in the region", Khan said, "If India has evidence or actionable intelligence, they should give it to us and we will take action."

He said that he has come across calls for an attack on Pakistan through the Indian media and warned, "If India retaliates, we will not think and retaliate back."