The Pakistani Foreign Office has rejected comments made by Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar, in which the latter referred to Pakistan as the "epicenter" of terrorism during a trip to Austria.
In a statement out Wednesday, the Foreign Office described Jaishankar's remarks as "baseless and frivolous accusations" and called his comments a "reflection of growing frustration over India's failure to malign and isolate Pakistan."
Jaishankar made the remarks on Monday during a joint press conference with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg.
“Since the epicenter [of terrorism] is located so close to India, naturally, our experiences and insights are useful to others,” Jaishankar said, after mentioning the "cross-border practices" of terrorism.
In response, Islamabad demanded that India stop its "malicious campaign" of misleading the international community with "fictitious narrative of victimhood and vile anti-Pakistan propaganda."
India and Pakistan have accused each other of fomenting terrorism in the region; however, New Delhi has argued that the presence of UN-designated terrorists inside Pakistan corroborates their claims.