Pakistan: JeM leader not linked to Kashmir bombing

UPDATES WITH INDIA'S REACTION

By Aamir Latif, Riyaz ul Khaliq and Adil Ahmad

KARACHI, Pakistan/ANKARA (AA) - Pakistan said Thursday India had not shared any evidence of the involvement of a Pakistani citizen or the leader of a banned Kashmiri militant outfit in a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in February, which brought the two nuclear rivals to the brink of war.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Muhammad Faisal underlined that a dossier shared by New Delhi could not establish any link of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JEM) chief Masood Azhar to the bombing which left at least 40 Indian troops dead.

India blamed Azhar for the attack, which it said he performed with the backing of Pakistani intelligence agencies, a charge Islamabad has denied.

Faisal said all information provided by New Delhi had been reviewed and that "no link" could be established with either party, according to local broadcaster Geo News.

He added that Pakistan had shared its initial findings with the Indian High Commissioner to Islamabad.

- India 'disappointed' by Pakistan's response to dossier

Later in the day, India expressed its "disappointment" over Pakistan's response to the documents on the "JEM’s complicity in the cross-border terror attack in Pulwama, the presence of its terror camps and leadership in Pakistan".

"Regrettably, Pakistan continues to be in denial and even refuses to acknowledge Pulwama as a terror attack. It has not shared details of credible action, if any, taken by it against terrorists or terrorist organizations based in territories under its control," the Ministry of External Affairs, said in a statement.

It also urged Pakistan to abide by its 2004 commitment "to not allow any territory under its control to be used for terrorism against India in any manner".

"We are examining the paper handed over by Pakistan," the statement added.

- China warns US

China on Thursday urged Washington against undermining the authority of the UN anti-terrorism committee by moving a resolution for Azhar to be designated a terrorist by the UN Security Council (UNSC).

The statement came in reaction to a U.S. proposal for draft resolution in the UNSC to blacklist Azhar under its 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee.

According to Press Trust of India (PTI), China accused the U.S. of undermining the authority of the UN anti-terrorism committee by "forcefully moving" a resolution in the UNSC to list Azhar as a global terrorist.

"America's move only complicates the issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing in Beijing.

Just two weeks ago, China had put a hold on a similar proposal to list Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the Council.

"This is not in line with resolution of the issue through dialogue and negotiations. This has reduced the authority of the Committee as the main anti-terrorism body of the UNSC and this is not conducive to the solidarity and only complicates the issue.

Throughout the last decade, China blocked all four moves in the UNSC to list Azhar as a global terrorist. The issue emerged after the JeM allegedly claimed responsibility of killing at least 40 Indian paramilitary forces in disputed Kashmir on Feb. 14.

"We urge the U.S. to act cautiously and avoid forcefully moving forward this resolution draft," PTI quoted Geng as saying.