ISLAMABAD: The ministry of foreign affairs on Tuesday “categorically” rejected allegations by a senior Indian army officer that Pakistan had attempted to target the Golden Temple in the Indian city of Amritsar using drones and missiles earlier this month.
During a media briefing in Amritsar on Monday, Major General Kartik C Seshadri, General Officer Commanding of the 15 Infantry Division, said the Golden Temple was directly targeted in the recent wave of attacks as India and Pakistan engaged in their worst fighting in decades between May 7-10, which ultimately ended with a US-brokered a ceasefire. He said the Indian army’s air defense gunners shot down all drones and missiles Pakistan had launched at the Golden Temple.
The Pakistani foreign office spokesperson called Seshadri’s comments “baseless and incorrect.”
“We categorically reject the allegations that Pakistan attempted to target the Golden Temple, the most revered place in the Sikh faith. We hold all places of worship in the highest esteem and cannot think of targeting a holy site like the Golden Temple,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
He said Pakistan was the “proud custodian” of numerous sacred sites belonging to the Sikh faith and annually hosted thousands of Sikh pilgrims from around the world, providing visa-free access to the historic Gurdwara Sahib Kartarpur through the Kartarpur Corridor.
“In that backdrop, any claim concerning Pakistan’s attempt to target the Golden Temple is absolutely baseless and incorrect,” the spokesperson added.
At least 60 people died in fighting earlier this month triggered by an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing, a charge Pakistan denies.
Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both countries, which have fought multiple wars over the Himalayan territory since their 1947 independence from Britain.
