India on Wednesday rubbished as "mischievous and totally baseless" reports in Pakistani media that it is planning to send troops to Afghanistan.
"These news reports are mischievous and totally baseless," a senior official in the Ministry of External Affairs said when asked to comment on reports in Pakistani media that India is all set to send its troops to Afghanistan at the instance of the US.
Pakistani daily The Nation, quoting a diplomatic source, reported that Islamabad had "received clear indications that Indian troops would be deployed in Afghanistan".
It said Pakistan had taken up the "sensitive matter" with the Bush administration as the US had assured it that Indian troops will not be deployed near Pak-Afghan border.
The MEA official pointed out that it was intriguing that such reports keep appearing in Pakistani media from time to time.
Earlier, on July 7, a Pakistani newspaper had carried a similar report and at that time too India had denied it, he said.