Not a shred of evidence of Indian involvement in Balochistan: Govt - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Rubbishing Pakistan's accusations of Indian involvement in Balochistan, Indian Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao on Saturday said there was no evidence to substantiate the allegation. "There is not a shred of evidence to Corroborate what the Pakistan authorities have been alleging about so called activities by India in Balochistan," Nirupama Rao said in the capital. Taking umbrage to Pakistan's allegations Foreign Secretary further said: "Balochistan is an internal affair of Pakistan and it is not our habit, it is not our policy to interfere in the internal affairs of neighboring countries." India had also asked Pakistan to follow the same approach of non-interference. Rao was reacting to the statement made by Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in which he has reportedly claimed that a dossier with evidence of India fomenting trouble in Balochistan would be handed over to New Delhi at an appropriate time. On Thursday, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit said Indian elements remain present in Balochistan and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Basit said the interior ministry had evidence to prove the presence and will make a sovereign decision of who to share it with. Earlier Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had said that evidence of India's involvement in Balochistan would be disclosed through diplomatic channels at the right time. Reacting sharply to the charges, India on Thursday accused Pakistan of "fabricating evidence" and rejected as "unfounded" charges of fomenting insurgency in Balochistan. On Pakistan's repeated allegations, foreign minister S M Krishna told Rajya Sabha statements of the Pakistani foreign minister read together made it evident that Islamabad was fabricating evidence (of India's alleged role in Balochistan), not even a shred of evidence has been received so far." Pakistan is constantly hurling allegations on India for fomenting militancy in Balochistan through its consulates in Afghanistan. Whereas India has been rejecting the charges and has maintained that these consulates are present in Afghanistan since 1950s and are involved in the consular activities. Baloch nationalists, who are engaged in low intensity insurgency have time and again stated that India is not involved in militancy in the region and it is the result Pakistan's ongoing exploitation and persecution of the province.