Pakistan hands over further questions on Pulwama dossier to India

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has handed over further questions to the India High Commissioner on the Pulwama dossier, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal told reporters during Thursday’s news briefing.

“We hope India will answer these questions soon,” Dr Faisal said.

Dr Faisal told reporters that Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had credible intelligence of India preparing another act of aggression against Pakistan between April 16 and 20.

“India will receive the same response as February 27 if it challenges our resolve,” Dr Faisal told reporters.

On February 27, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down two Indian military aircrafts after they had violated the Line of Control (LoC) and captured a pilot who was later released as a gesture of peace. A day earlier Indian military aircrafts had violated the LoC and repelled by a timely response from the PAF.

The Indian action was a response to the Pulwama suicide bombing of February 14 in which 44 Indian soldiers were killed. Without proof, India blamed Pakistan for harbouring terrorists responsible for the attack on its soil.

New Delhi handed a dossier to Islamabad which the Foreign Office said contained no evidence of Pakistan’s involvement. “The information provided by India in the shape of a paper, given to us on 27 February is being investigated and no linkage of Pakistan with Pulwama has been found,” Dar Faisal told reporters during a news briefing on March 28.

In the same news briefing, the spokesman the Indian dossier did not claim any linkage of JeM chief Moolana Masood Azhar with the Pulwama incident.

‘Pakistan not to be part of Doha talks’

Dr Faisal speaking on the US-Taliban talks, said Pakistan would not be part of the dialogue process in Doha.

US and Taliban officials have held several rounds of talks but the militant group has so far refused to talk directly to the Afghan government, which they consider an illegitimate regime.

Last week, US envoy for Afghan peace talks, Zalmay Khalilzad, said "men [and] women, young [and] not-so-young, all will join in intra-Afghan dialogue in Doha [and] eventual negotiations".