The suicide bomb blast took place on Saturday. (File)
- India has rejected Pakistan Army's claim that it was behind the Waziristan attack
- "We reject this statement with the contempt it deserves," the MEA said
- A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a Pakistani military convoy, killing 13 soldiers
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday strongly rejected the Pakistan Army's claim that India was behind the Waziristan suicide bomber attack, which killed 13 soldiers a day earlier.
"We have seen an official statement by the Pakistan Army seeking to blame India for the attack on Waziristan on 28 June. We reject this statement with the contempt it deserves," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement on X.
On Saturday, a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a Pakistani military convoy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's North Waziristan district. The attack that killed 13 soldiers was carried out by Fitna-al-Khawarij, according to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), The Dawn reported.
"A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a military convoy. The blast killed 13 soldiers, injured 10 army personnel and 19 civilians," said a local government official in North Waziristan district, seeking anonymity.
According to The Dawn, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) - Pakistan military's media wing - said in a statement that "in their desperation, an explosive-laden vehicle was rammed by the Indian sponsored kharijis into one of the vehicles of the leading group."
It added: "Thirteen brave sons of [the] soil, embraced shahadat (martyrdom) [and] in this tragic and barbaric incident, two children and a woman [were also] severely injured."
The Dawn said the attack came just days after two soldiers were killed and 11 terrorists were eliminated during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in South Waziristan. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the latest bombing.
According to AFP, Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in violence in its regions bordering Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021, with Islamabad accusing its western neighbour of allowing its soil to be used for attacks against Pakistan - a claim the Taliban denies.
Around 290 people, mostly security officials, have been killed in attacks since the start of the year by armed groups fighting the government in both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to the AFP tally.
