No Islamabad hand in Sunjwan attack, don't dare cross LoC, Pakistan warns India

ISLAMABAD/SRINAGAR: Pakistan, which on Sunday denied its hand in the audacious terror attack on an Army camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Sunjwan area, has now warned India against conducting cross-border strikes.

"It is a well-established pattern that Indian officials begin making irresponsible statements and levelling unfounded allegations, even before a proper investigation in an incident has been initiated," Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"We hope that the international community would urge India to stop the untold atrocities and gross violations of human rights in Kashmir (and) refrain from any misadventure across the Line of Control..." it said.

The Foreign Office issued a statement on Sunday saying the Indian officials and its media were making "irresponsible" statements even before conducting a proper investigation into the incident (Sunjwan terror attack).

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson also accused India of running a "smear campaign against Islamabad and the deliberate creation of war hysteria."

The sharp reactions from Pakistan came after the security forces blamed Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) for the Sunjwan attack.

Saturday's attack on the Sunjuwan Army camp in Jammu was the worst in months, with five soldiers and the father of one of the soldiers killed and women and children among the ten wounded.

The authorities said that a group of heavily armed attackers, believed to be linked to the JeM, were behind the attack, drawing criticism from Pakistan about rushing to judgement without a full inquiry.

India, the Foreign Office said, was making these allegations to divert attention from its brutality in trying to control the armed revolt in Kashmir, and warned against any retaliatory measures across the Line of Control (LoC).

The Jammu and Kashmir Police chief, SP Vaid, had told reporters over the weekend that they had communication intercepts pointing to the JeM, which has emerged as a top group fighting hundreds of thousands of Indian forces in Kashmir.

The Army said the attackers wore fatigues and had assault rifles, a UBGL and grenades.

In a related development, J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today urged the Centre to hold talks with Pakistan to end the bloodshed in the state.  

In 2016, India carried out surgical strikes after 18 soldiers were killed in an attack on the Uri base in Kashmir.

Pakistan has repeatedly denied giving material aid to the fighters in Kashmir and says it only provides diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiri people in 'their struggle for self-determination'.

On Monday, Indian soldiers foiled an attack on CRPF camp in Srinagar. 

An encounter is currently ongoing between the terrorists and the security forces, and one CRPF jawan has been martyred.