India Dismisses Allegations of Involvement in Pakistan Killings

In Short

• Report claims India’s involvement in targetted assasinations in Pakistan
• India denies claims as ‘false, malicious anti-India propaganda’
• Report suggests killings in Pakistan after 2019 Pulwama attack in Jammu and Kashmir

The Ministry of External Affairs of India has vehemently denied recent reports suggesting the country’s involvement in targeted killings within Pakistan following the 2019 Pulwama attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

Dismissing allegations made in a foreign media report, the ministry labeled them as “false and malicious propaganda.” The report, published by The Guardian, cited unnamed intelligence operatives from both India and Pakistan, claiming that India orchestrated targeted assassinations in Pakistan as part of a broader strategy to eliminate terrorists residing in foreign territories.

In response to The Guardian’s report, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs denounced the allegations, emphasizing a prior statement by Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, who stated that such targeted killings abroad were not endorsed by the Indian government. The ministry described the accusations as baseless and part of an orchestrated anti-India smear campaign.

The report alleged that India’s intelligence agency, RAW (Research and Analysis Wing), conducted approximately 20 targeted killings on foreign soil, purportedly as a response to the Pulwama terror attack, which resulted in the deaths of 40 Indian soldiers and was claimed by the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed.

It claimed that these assassinations surged in 2023, with Pakistani intelligence sources implicating India in the deaths of about 15 individuals, most of whom were reportedly shot by unidentified gunmen at close range.

According to Pakistani investigators cited in the report, these killings were allegedly orchestrated by Indian intelligence sleeper cells primarily operating from the United Arab Emirates.

Furthermore, the report referenced recent claims by Canada, implicating the Indian government in the assassination of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was fatally shot outside a gurdwara in Surrey on June 18, 2023.

The report also suggested that Indian intelligence operatives drew inspiration from agencies like Israel’s Mossad and Russia’s KGB, known for extrajudicial killings on foreign soil. Additionally, it claimed that RAW officials directly referenced the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, which occurred in the Saudi embassy, as a precedent.

Despite the allegations, analysts mentioned in the report suggested that Pakistani authorities might be hesitant to acknowledge these killings publicly, given that most of the targets were individuals associated with known terrorist organizations.

India-Pakistan Relations Amidst Escalating Tensions

The strained relationship between India and Pakistan has been exacerbated over the years, primarily due to Pakistan’s alleged sponsorship of terrorism and sheltering of individuals designated as terrorists by India. Additionally, India has repeatedly criticized Pakistan for its illegal occupation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

In a recent development, Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, expressed optimism regarding the improvement of bilateral ties with India after the conclusion of India’s upcoming general elections. Asif’s remarks, reported by Geo News, were made outside the Parliament House in Islamabad on April 1.

Contrastingly, India’s External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, remarked on April 4 that India’s relations with all neighboring countries, except China and Pakistan, have significantly improved compared to previous times. These statements highlight the complex dynamics and ongoing tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors in South Asia.