(MENAFN) India has firmly dismissed Pakistan’s claim that it was behind a deadly terrorist attack in the North Waziristan District, labeling the accusation as “false and malicious.” The statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs came in response to Islamabad’s allegations following a suicide bombing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Saturday.

According to Pakistani officials, a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden vehicle into a military convoy, followed by gunfire. The attack killed 13 soldiers and injured three civilians, including two children. Earlier reports from AFP suggested that 29 civilians were hurt.

Shortly after the incident, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations accused India of orchestrating the attack through a proxy group named Fitna al Khwarij. “This cowardly assault, planned by the terrorist state of India and executed by its proxy, targeted a security convoy in Mir Ali, North Waziristan,” the military said. It added that Pakistan’s armed forces remain determined to eliminate what they termed “Indian-sponsored terrorism.”

Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, visited the Corps Headquarters in Peshawar to assess the situation and review counterterrorism efforts.

Despite Pakistan’s accusation, reports indicated that the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, a Taliban-aligned faction, had claimed responsibility for the bombing. The region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has long been a flashpoint, with Pakistan accusing the Afghan Taliban of harboring militants who carry out cross-border attacks.

Past incidents have heightened tensions in the area. In March 2024, five Chinese nationals and their driver were killed in a suicide bombing, which Pakistan blamed on an Afghan national, saying it was planned in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has also repeatedly accused India of aiding separatists and militants in Balochistan, another restive province. India, however, has rejected these claims and countered by accusing Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism, including the April 22 attack on civilians in Kashmir that contributed to a brief military standoff between the two countries in May.

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