India rejects reports on RAW-trained Afghan bombers

Amid a spate of suicide bombings in Pakistan following the Lal Masjid operation, officials and an opposition leader have reportedly alleged that most of these attacks were carried out by "Afghan" bombers trained by Indian intelligence agencies, a charge rejected as "baseless" and "mischievous" by the Indian mission in Islamabad.

Pakistani intelligence agencies during a meeting chaired by Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Wednesday claimed that 25 "Afghan terrorists" had links with Research & Analysis Wing agents in Indian consulates at Jalalabad and Kandahar, Daily Times reported quoting officials.

Also, Gen Nasarullah Babar, former interior minister and a senior leader of ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, alleged during a meeting of lawyers in Nowshera in North Western Frontier Province that agents of RAW working through the Indian consulates in Afghanistan were responsible for the current bomb blasts in Pakistan, The News reported.

Reacting to the reports, an Indian diplomat in Islamabad told PTI that "these are baseless and mischievous allegations and we reject them entirely. As we have said before when such reports surfaced, a stable peaceful and prosperous Pakistan is in India's own interest.

"The sources for such reports seek to vitiate the current friendly atmosphere and dialogue process between the two countries. India is determined not to fall into their trap. We are sure the government of Pakistan shares this determination," the Indian official said.