India has strongly rejected Pakistan’s accusation that it was behind a deadly suicide bombing in North Waziristan. The attack killed 16 Pakistani soldiers and injured several others.

India dismisses Pakistan Army’s blame

On Saturday, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a sharp response. It condemned Pakistan’s claim and called it completely false.

“We have seen an official statement by the Pakistan Army seeking to blame India for the attack in Waziristan on 28 June. We reject this statement with the contempt it deserves,” the MEA said.

India accused Pakistan of using such claims to hide its internal failures. It said that blaming India has long been a tactic used by Pakistan’s Army to shift focus from its own problems.

Internal unrest in Pakistan’s provinces

Pakistan has faced unrest in regions like Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for many years. According to India, Pakistan continues to mistreat the Baloch people and denies them basic resources. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also remains underdeveloped and suffers from frequent violence.

Meanwhile, India pointed out that Pakistan itself uses terror groups as part of its state policy against India. Despite this, the Pakistani Army refuses to accept blame when terror strikes occur within its own borders.

Deadly blast hits military convoy

Earlier on Saturday, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-packed vehicle into a military convoy. The attack took place in North Waziristan, part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. According to a local official quoted by AFP, the explosion killed 16 soldiers, injured 10 others, and hurt 19 civilians.

The Hafiz Gul Bahadur group claimed responsibility. This group has ties to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a major anti-government militant outfit.

Violence rising near Afghan border

Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, attacks in Pakistan’s tribal areas have increased. Militants often cross the border from Afghanistan to launch strikes inside Pakistan. In response, Islamabad has blamed the Afghan Taliban for giving shelter to these fighters. However, Kabul continues to deny the accusations.

So far in 2024, over 290 people have died in such attacks. Most of the victims have been security personnel in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, AFP reported.