FO dismisses New Delhi's claims of drone flying over Indian High Commission in Islamabad

The Foreign Office on Friday dismissed Indian claims of a drone flying over the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, terming them baseless.

"These preposterous claims have no basis in facts and no proof whatsoever has been shared with Pakistan to substantiate these allegations," FO spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said in a statement.

"Curiously, this propaganda campaign by India is also happening at a time when evidence so far collected in the Lahore blast of 23 June is increasingly pointing to external forces with a history of perpetrating state-sponsored terrorism against Pakistan," Chaudhri said.

"Pakistan rejects these patently false allegations and diversionary Indian tactics and will continue to stand by the people of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir in their just struggle for the right to self-determination, as enshrined in the UNSC resolutions," the spokesperson added.

India's external affairs ministry, earlier in the day, had claimed a drone was spotted over the Indian High Commission's complex last week, The Indian Express reported.

The report said that India had asked Pakistan to launch a probe into the matter.

The Foreign Office, two days ago, had also rejected Indian Home Minister G Kishan Reddy's claim that Pakistan could not be ruled out as a possible force behind the recent drone attack on the Indian Air Force base at Jammu airport.

In a statement, the Foreign Office categorically rejected the "irresponsible and misleading statement" as the Indian official chose not to share any evidence in this regard.

"The Indian government has once again leveled serious allegations against Pakistan. This is yet another manifestation of the unsubstantiated propaganda and smear campaign against Pakistan that is characteristic of the Indian government and an obliging Indian media," the statement said.