India should stop dragging Pakistan into its electoral debate: FO

ISLAMABAD: India should stop dragging Pakistan into its electoral debate and win victories on own strength rather than fabricated conspiracies, which are utterly baseless and irresponsible, stated the Foreign Office on Monday. 

The statement was posted on Twitter by FO Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal. 

The issue stems from an ongoing bitter political mudslinging between India's two biggest political parties: the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress. 

According to NDTV, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested at a rally on Sunday that Pakistan is trying to influence the assembly elections in Gujarat, linking the matter to a dinner hosted by Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar earlier this week which was also attended by Pakistani officials.

Modi claimed in the rally that a former Pakistan Army officer has supported senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel for becoming the chief minister of Gujarat. The Congress slammed Modi's remarks as "highly irresponsible and outrageous" and has demanded an apology.

The dinner at Aiyar's home in Delhi was held on December 6 during the visit of Pakistan's former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri. 

The second and last phase of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly elections will be held on Thursday, bringing an end to a bitter political campaign between the two arch-rivals. Results are expected on December 18.