Shinde's charges against ISI unwarranted, says Pakistan

New Delhi: Pakistan on Thursday termed as "baseless and unwarranted" the remarks of Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde about ISI fanning Sikh militancy, and said that all issues between the two countries should be sorted out by constructive dialogue.

An official release from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi said this while referring to media reports about Shinde's remarks that Sikh youths were being trained in Inter-Services Intelligence facilities in Pakistan.

"Commenting on Indian media reports quoting Home Minister Shinde about training of Sikhs by ISI, the spokesperson of the (Pakistan) high commission has stated that such allegations are baseless and unwarranted," the release said.

It said Pakistan has consistently endeavoured to improve relations with India. "This has been articulated emphatically by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif," the release added.

"It is extremely important that everything be done to build an atmosphere of trust and confidence between the two countries. As close neighbours, all issues should be sorted out through constructive dialogue, for which official mechanisms exist," the Pakistan High Commission said.

Shinde said on Wednesday at the Chief Ministers' Conference on internal security that there had been "significant development on the Sikh militancy front with its commanders in Pakistan under pressure to further the ISI terror plans".

He said that Sikh youths were being trained in ISI facilities in Pakistan.

Shinde also said that a large quantity of RDX and other explosives were finding their way into Punjab. He noted that long and porous border with Nepal and Bangladesh was being used by Pakistan-based jihadi groups to cajole youths for terror training and to push in hardware and money into India to carry out terror attacks.

The home minister said that "jihadi tanzeems" in Pakistan linked to the LeT, JeM and IM (Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Indian Mujahideen), had set up tunnels for transfer of funds into India, and that militants based in Gulf countries were collecting money for terrorism in India.