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NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs (MEA) on Sunday dismissed claims made by the Pakistan army blaming India for a deadly suicide bombing in North Waziristan, calling the statement “deserving of contempt.”In a response issued in the early hours of the day, the MEA said, “We have seen an official statement by the Pakistan Army seeking to blame India for the attack in Waziristan on 28 June. We reject this statement with the contempt it deserves.”MEA’s response comes after at least 16 Pakistani soldiers were killed and more than two dozen people injured in a suicide bombing on Saturday. The incident occurred in North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when a bomber drove an explosives-laden vehicle into a military convoy.“A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a military convoy,” a local government official was quoted as saying to news agency AFP. He confirmed the death toll had risen to 16 from an earlier count of 13. The official requested anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.The blast also damaged nearby homes. “The explosion also caused the roofs of two houses to collapse, injuring six children,” a police officer in the area told AFP.The attack was later claimed by the suicide wing of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, a known faction of the Pakistan Taliban.Despite the group’s admission, Pakistan’s military suggested foreign involvement, with officials in Islamabad hinting at Indian links — an accusation New Delhi has now firmly denied.
