‘Look inwards’: India tears into Pakistan over Karachi blast allegations

NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs on Sunday rejected allegations made by Pakistan linking India to the recent terrorist attack in Karachi, advising Islamabad to take credible action against terror rather than pointing fingers.The ministry, in a statement, said that Pakistan should rid itself of its habitual tendency to rely on terrorism as an instrument of state policy.“We have seen Pakistani reports making baseless allegations against India regarding the recent incident in Karachi. We categorically reject them. Instead of pointing fingers at others, Pakistan would do better to look inwards, take credible action against the terror infrastructure on its territory and rid itself of its proclivity to rely on terrorism as an instrument of state policy,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.This comes after three members of Pakistan’s paramilitary Rangers force were killed and four others wounded in fighting after militants launched an attack on a regional headquarters in the southern port city of Karachi.A militant rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the provincial headquarters of the Pakistan Rangers in Karachi on Saturday night, triggering an intense exchange of gunfire with security forces, according to police and witnesses.In a statement, the military said security forces had killed three attackers and captured a fourth, who was wounded. It identified the captured suspect as an Afghan national.The military said operations were continuing in the area and warned that Pakistan would retaliate against those responsible for the assault. Pakistan has carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan in recent years, saying they targeted militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul has repeatedly denied allowing militant groups to use Afghan territory to launch cross-border attacks.Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks targeting police and security forces in recent years.The military said operations were still under way to eliminate any remaining accomplices of the attackers.