Foreign Office issues strong statement following a British media report on assassinations carried out by Indian agency inside Pakistan n Spokesperson says it is critical to bring to justice sponsors of extra-judicial killings n New Delhi clearly violated Pakistan’s sovereignty: FO.
ISLAMABAD - Foreign Office on Friday strongly reacted to a media report in a British publication about India’s extra-territorial killings in Pakistan, calling for a joint international response.
Pakistan issued the statement only a day after The Guardian detailed how Indian authorities had been targeting people in foreign lands. Based on interviews with Pakistani and Indian intelligence operatives, the report said India’s spy agency, Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), was involved in up to 20 assassinations in Pakistan since 2020.
The newspaper noted India had drawn its inspiration from Israel’s Mossad and Russia’s KGB that have been frequently accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings on foreign soil. The Guardian said RAW was directly controlled by the office of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was widely believed to be behind the murder of a Sikh leader in Canada and a botched attempt on another dissident in the United States last year. “The Indian network of extra-judicial and extra-territorial killings is now a global phenomenon that needs a coordinated international response,” the foreign office spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, told Arab News in a statement.
She said Pakistan’s foreign secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi had shared evidence linking Indian agents to the killings of two Pakistani nationals in their own country with the local and foreign media in January. “These cases exposed the increasing sophistication and brazenness of Indian-sponsored terrorist acts inside Pakistan, with striking similarities with the pattern observed in other countries, including Canada and the United States,” she continued, adding such acts of New Delhi clearly violated Pakistan’s sovereignty and constituted a breach of the UN Charter.
“It is critical to bring to justice the perpetrators, facilitators, financiers and sponsors of these extra-judicial and extra-territorial killings,” Baloch said.
“India must be held accountable internationally for its blatant violation of international law,” she added. Meanwhile, Indian defense minister Rajnath Singh told CNN News18 his country would not hesitate in killing anyone in Pakistan who goes to the other side of the border after attempting to commit “terrorist activities.”
Pakistan aims to expose India’s terror inside Pakistan as evidences continue to surface on Indian link, officials said.
India’s covert campaign of cross-border terror, culminating in the targeted killings of innocent Pakistani civilians within the country’s borders is fast becoming an open secret. According to the foreign ministry, Pakistan has irrefutable evidence of direct links between Indian operatives and the recent assassinations of two Pakistani nationals. These acts were meticulously planned, involving a sophisticated international network spanning multiple jurisdictions. Indian agents, leveraging technology and safe havens abroad, orchestrated the assassinations on Pakistani soil. They recruited, funded, and manipulated criminals, terrorists, and unwitting civilians to execute these nefarious missions.
“We will expose India’s terror campaign at the global level at all platforms. The issue will be high?” said a senior diplomat.
Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi earlier said the Indian media and social platforms shamelessly celebrated these killings, portraying them as victories against perceived “enemies” of India, flaunting their ability to execute such illegal operations. Recruitment tactics ranged from social media enticements to the use of fake Da’esh accounts and talent scouts. The operation maintained strict compartmentalization, employing teams of financiers, scouts, and assassins, with elaborate exit strategies to erase any trace of their involvement. “Today, we unveil details of two such cases, with others under intense investigation, soon to be brought to light. The first case revolves around the targeted assassination of Shahid Latif. On October 11, 2023, a group of hired criminals gunned down Shahid Latif outside a mosque in Sialkot. Investigations revealed the sinister role of an Indian agent, Yogesh Kumar, operating from a third country, who orchestrated the murder through local criminals and terrorists,” the Secretary said.
He said Yogesh Kumar enlisted Muhammad Umair, a labourer, residing in the same foreign country, to liaise with Pakistani criminals for the mission. Local criminals managed to pinpoint Shahid Latif’s location, though initial attempts at execution failed. He elaborated that in a desperate move, Muhammad Umair himself travelled to Pakistan, assembling a team of five assassins. “Their hit on October 11, 2023, led to Shahid Latif’s tragic demise. Law enforcement swiftly apprehended the perpetrators, including Muhammad Umair, attempting to flee on October 12, 2023. Each individual involved in the reconnaissance and murder is now facing the justice system, with clear evidence linking the entire chain back to Indian agent Yogesh Kumar,” he maintained. The second case unveils the assassination of Muhammad Riaz, orchestrated by another Indian agent. Muhammad Riaz was ruthlessly gunned down during Fajr prayer in a mosque in Rawalakot on September 8, 2023. Pakistani authorities tracked the killer, Muhammad Abdullah Ali, apprehending him on September 15, 2023, at Jinnah International Airport Karachi. Interrogations unveiled Abdullah Ali’s recruitment and guidance by Indian agents Ashok Kumar Anand and Yogesh Kumar, utilizing the Telegram app for communication.
Abdullah Ali received payments through intermediaries based abroad, along with weapons and ammunition.
After an unsuccessful attempt on September 7, 2023, Abdullah Ali succeeded in executing Muhammad Riaz the following day. Law enforcement agencies swiftly apprehended Abdullah Ali and his accomplices across Pakistan, with ongoing legal proceedings.
Through Abdullah Ali’s confessions and technical evidence, investigators traced facilitators within Pakistan and beyond. We possess substantial documentary, financial, and forensic evidence implicating these two Indian agents as masterminds behind these gruesome killings.
Passport details of Yogesh Kumar and Ashok Kumar have been disclosed, with relevant third countries informed.
The pattern mirrors similar incidents uncovered in countries like Canada and the United States, painting a global picture of India’s extrajudicial and cross-border assassination network. British newspaper “The Guardian” has exposed the nefarious designs of India to spread terrorism in the region. The Guardian in its article quoting intelligence sources said Indian government assassinated individuals in Pakistan. According to the article, Sikh separatists supporting the Khalistan movement are being targeted both in Pakistan and in the West. Modi government is killing innocent people on foreign soil as a systematic strategy. The article revealed that India is spreading terrorism abroad especially in Pakistan. It said Modi has direct control over India’s spy agency RAW. The Modi government is pursuing a policy of targeting those it considers India’s enemies.