India prisoners stone a Pakistani inmate to death amid tensions
US urges Pakistan to punish those behind Kashmir attack
JAIPUR: Indian prisoners stoned to death a Pakistani inmate in a jail yesterday amid mounting tensions over a suicide bombing that Delhi has blamed on its archrival neighbor, an official said. The Pakistani had been eight years into a life term at Jaipur Central Jail in the western state of Rajasthan when he was attacked. He was stoned to death after a quarrel, Rajasthan state director general of police Kapil Garg said.
The killing came amid calls for retribution across India over a car bombing in Kashmir last Thursday which killed at least 40 Indian paramilitaries. Pakistan-based Islamist group Jaish-eMohammed (JeM) has claimed responsibility for the attack. India has accused Pakistan of backing the militants but Islamabad has denied any role. India and Pakistan, which each control sectors of Kashmir, have been bitter rivals since their independence from Britain in 1947. A Pakistani prisoner was killed by fellow inmates in a Kashmir jail in May 2013 in retaliation for a fatal attack on an Indian prisoner in a Pakistani jail.
Meanwhile, United States threw its support behind India on Tuesday and pressed Pakistan to punish those behind a suicide attack in Kashmir that killed 40 Indian security personnel. “We have been in close communication with the government of India to express not only our condolences but our strong support for India as it confronts this terrorism,” deputy State Department spokesman Robert Palladino told reporters. “We urge Pakistan to fully cooperate with the investigation into the attack and to punish anyone responsible.”
Palladino said that the United States has been in contact with both countries since the February 14 attack, which was claimed by the Pakistan-based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed. “We call on all countries to uphold their responsibilities pursuant to the United Nations Security Council resolutions to deny safe haven and support for terrorists,” Palladino said. India earlier called on Pakistan to take “credible and visible action” against the perpetrators of the attack, rejecting Prime Minister Imran Khan’s offer to investigate any evidence offered by New Delhi.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced pressure from his Hindu nationalist base to respond forcefully to the attack, which comes weeks before he is expected to call general elections. The United States has a fast-growing relationship with India on
India accuses Pakistan of backing militants
areas from defense to trade. After years of seeking some balance in its ties between the nuclear-armed powers, the United States under President Donald Trump has taken a hard line on Pakistan, cutting off aid over Islamabad’s associations with extremists active in Afghanistan. — Agencies