India assails Pak for calling RSS, others 'terrorist elements'

New Delhi: India on Saturday slammed Pakistan for labelling certain Indian political parties and social organisations as terror outfits, calling it a "desperate attempt" at deflecting international focus from Islamabad's complicity in "spawning" terrorist groups like LeT, JuD and JeM.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said Pakistan Foreign Ministry's statement yesterday linking political parties and social organisations to terror was "absurd even by Pakistan's standards".

"Labelling bonafide Indian political parties and social and cultural organisations as terrorist organisations seems a desperate attempt to deflect international focus from Pakistan's own complicity in spawning internationally proscribed organisations like LeT, JuD and JeM, which continue to target Pakistan's neighbours from territory under Pakistan's control," he said.

Swarup was responding to a query on Pakistan's comments yesterday on Jammu and Kashmir and allegations against certain political parties and organisations.

The official spokesperson of Pakistan Foreign Ministry had yesterday said, "Terrorist organisations such as RSS, Vishwa Hindu Prasad, Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal and other terrorist elements" are engaged in the drive to change demography of Kashmir.