Pakistan’s media and opinion-makers suggested on Friday the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir was part of a ploy by vested interests to show the country in a negative light amid the talks process in Afghanistan and ahead of the visit of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“The timing is convenient,” said foreign policy analyst Mosharraf Zaidi. “It comes at a time when Pakistan is succeeding in its foreign policy objectives.” “We strongly reject any insinuation by elements in the Indian government and media circles that seek to link the attack to the State of Pakistan without investigations,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

The Saudi prince, scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on February 16, is expected to announce deals worth billions of dollars to shore up Pakistan’s economy. Pakistan has also positioned itself to play a key role in facilitating talks between the Afghan Taliban, whose leaders are based in Pakistani cities, and the US.

Many Pakistanis expressed sympathy for the victims of the attack but insisted their country was not used to sponsor the assault. Pakistani media highlighted the attacker was a Kashmiri and suggested the country had nothing to do with what they described as the outcome of a “local insurgency”.

Actor Hamza Ali Abbasi, known for voicing controversial opinions on political matters, tweeted: “Every human life is sacred, its loss should be mourned. I am not celebrating the death of these soldiers but Kashmiris don’t want Indian Army occupation and my advice to the Indian Army: Leave Kashmir because Kashmiris have taken everything in their own hands.”