MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Thursday’s deadly blast that targeted a paramilitary police convoy in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

"We strongly condemn this brutal crime. Its perpetrators and masterminds must certainly get the punishment they deserve. I would like to confirm the readiness to further boost anti-terrorism cooperation with Indian partners," reads the letter, posted on the Russian president’s official website.

A suicide bomber blew up a car laden with 350 kg of explosives near a military convoy transporting over 2,500 servicemen of the Central Reserve Police Force. The bomb went up near one of the buses, killing 42 people.

Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammad, a radical separatist group active in Jammu and Kashmir, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group, whose ultimate goal is Jammu and Kashmir’s secession from India, is based in Pakistan, but frequently launch assaults on the territory of India.

The foreign ministry of Pakistan on Friday strongly denied any role of the country’s government in the attack.

"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 ministry said in a statement.

New Delhi regularly accuses Islamabad of supporting terrorists, Pakistan denies those accusations.