Islamabad: Reacting angrily to External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha's assertion that Pakistan was using cross-border terrorism as a "pre-dialogue negotiating tactic", Islamabad on October 31 alleged it was a "convenient bogey" raised by India to cover up Army excesses in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Such allegations have become a convenient bogey raised by India to cover up the reign of terror let loose by its Army in Kashmir," Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.

In an interview to BBC as well as addressing a gathering in London, Sinha said Pakistan was using terrorism against India as a "pre-dialogue negotiating tactic".

The Pakistani statement also referred to Sinha terming the elections in Pakistan as "seriously flawed" and said it was "patently wrong" and amounted to interference in the country's internal affairs.

"The government of Pakistan rejects the Indian Foreign Minister's patently wrong assertion and regarded it as interference in Pakistan's affairs," the statement said reacting to Sinha's comments in the BBC interview.

It said Pakistan's elections were not only free and fair but were also entirely transparent. "In the light of the electoral fraud repeatedly enacted by the government of India in Kashmir, the brazenness of the Indian Minister would have few parallels."

PTI