India strongly trashes Pak Army chief's 'jugular vein' remark on Kashmir

Islamabad's only link with Jammu and Kashmir is the vacation of illegally occupied parts of the Union Territory, India said on Thursday, strongly trashing Pakistan Army Chief Gen Asim Munir's remark that Kashmir is "jugular vein" of his country.

New Delhi also rejected Pakistan's assertion that the Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana is a Canadian citizen and it has nothing to do with him.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Pakistan may try very hard but its reputation as the "epicentre" of global terrorism will not diminish.

Addressing a conclave of the Overseas Pakistanis in Islamabad on Wednesday, Munir said Pakistan will not forget the issue of Kashmir and will stand by the Kashmiri people in the "struggle against the Indian occupation".

"It was our jugular vein, it is our jugular vein, we will not forget it," he said.

At his weekly media briefing here, Jaiswal said, "How can anything foreign be in a jugular vein?"  "This (Jammu and Kashmir) is a Union territory of India. Its only relationship with Pakistan is the vacation of illegally occupied territories by that country," he said.

Munir also talked about the two-nation theory and said the religions, traditions, thoughts and ambitions of Pakistan and India are different.

On Pakistan foreign office's comments that Tahawwur Rana is a Canadian citizen, Jaiswal said Islamabad should bring to justice other perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks.

"Pakistan may try very hard but its reputation as the epicentre of global terrorism will not diminish. The extradition of Rana is a reminder yet again to Pakistan that it needs to act to bring to justice other perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks whom it continues to shield," Jaiswal said.

Rana, 64, was brought to India on April 10 after all hurdles for his extradition were removed by the US.

A Canadian national of Pakistani origin, Rana is now in the custody of Indian investigating agencies.

Many people were killed in the 2008 terror attacks on India's financial hub and it is "shameful that Pakistan has not moved forward till now", Jaiswal said.