Foreign Secretary says India recruited, financed, supported criminals, terrorists for killings in Sialkot, Rawalakot n Islamabad demands New Delhi must be held accountable for blatant violation of international law n Pakistani authorities have apprehended assassins hired by Indian agents, says Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi.
Indian agents Ashok Kumar Anand and Yogesh Kumar Shiv Chand orchestrated killings of Pakistani citizens Shahid Latif and Mohammad Riaz outside Sialkot in Oct ‘23 and in Rawalakot in Sept ‘23, respectively through local resources.
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has credible evidence of India’s sophisticated and sinister campaign of extra-territorial and extra-judicial killings inside the country, Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi revealed this during a news briefing in Islamabad on Thursday evening.
He said Pakistani authorities have credible evidence of links between Indian agents and assassins of two Pakistani nationals on Pakistani soil. He said Indian agents used technology and safe havens on foreign soil to commit assassinations in Pakistan. They recruited, financed and supported criminals, terrorists and unsuspecting civilians to play defined roles in these assassinations. The Foreign Secretary said Indian agent Yogesh Kumar, based in a third country orchestrated the assassination of Pakistani citizen Shahid Latif, through criminals and terrorists, in Sialkot. Besides, Indian agents Ashok Kumar Anand and Yogesh Kumar were involved in the killing of Pakistani citizen Muhammad Riaz in Rawalakot. Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi said that Pakistani authorities have apprehended the assassins hired by the Indian agents. He said Pakistan has documentary, financial and forensic evidence of the involvement of the two Indian agents, who masterminded these assassinations.
The Foreign Secretary said Indian network of extra-judicial and extra-territorial killings has become a global phenomenon, which is evident from the involvement of Indian agents in masterminding similar acts in Canada and the United States. He said it is critical to bring to justice the killers, their facilitators and financers involved in these assassinations. Indian agents need to face justice for its extra-judicial and extra- territorial killings in other countries. The Foreign Secretary said India must be held accountable internationally for its blatant violation of international law. He said India’s assassination of Pakistan nationals on Pakistani soil is violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and a breach of the UN Charter. This violation of Pakistan sovereignty by India is completely unacceptable.
Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi expressed Pakistan’s commitment to protecting its people and securing its sovereignty. He said protection of Pakistanis and any foreign national on Pakistani soil is a high priority for Pakistan. He said India’s reckless and irresponsible act calls into question India’s reliability as a credible international player and its claims for enhanced global responsibilities.
The Foreign Office has also released passport details of Yogesh Kumar and Ashok Kumar Anand.
According to the details, Yogesh Kumar was born on Ninth October 1996 in Sriganganagar, Rajashtan, whereas Ashok Kumar Anad was born on First of July 1958 in Kolya area of Karnataka. The top official draws comparison to similar claim in Canada and says India must be held to account. Earlier this year the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, said there were “credible allegations” linking Indian intelligence agents to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh activist who was killed in Canada in June.
The US made similar allegations against India, accusing Indian agents of directing an attempted assassination plot against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a New York-based lawyer and prominent Sikh activist, which was foiled by US agents. The Indian government has said it is investigating these allegations. The foreign secretary also explained that India was running a sophisticated and sinister campaign of extra-territorial and extra-judicial killings inside Pakistan. “Indian agents used technology and safe havens on foreign soil to commit assassinations in Pakistan. They recruited, financed and supported criminals, terrorists and unsuspecting civilians to play defined roles in these assassinations,” he revealed. He stated that these were killing-for-hire cases and involved a sophisticated international set-up spread over multiple jurisdictions”. He said the assassins were recruited using social media platform Telegram.
Teams of financiers and assassins were employed in the operation, Qazi said, adding that deliberate exit plans were also developed to obscure all potential tracks. Giving details about the assassinations, he said: “On October 11, 2023, Shahid Latif was assassinated outside a mosque in Sialkot. A detailed investigation revealed that an Indian agent, Yogesh Kumar, based in a third country orchestrated the assassination.” Qazi said Kumar recruited Muhammad Umair, a labourer in the third country, to act as a contact with local criminals in Pakistan to trace and assassinate Shahid Latif. “They recruited local criminals who were able to locate Shahid Latif, however, they were unable to carry out the execution.”
“After some of the failed attempts, Umair himself was personally sent to Pakistan to carry out the assassination,” the foreign secretary said, adding that Umair organised a team of five target killers and succeeded in assassinating Shahid Latif. “Based on the confessional statements and technical evidence, law enforcement authorities quickly apprehended the target killers, including Muhammad Umair, who were trying to flee the country on Oct 12, 2023.”
He added that all those involved in the killings were apprehended and a case was being tried in the court of law. “We have evidence of transactions made in the process linking the entire chain to Indian agent Yogesh Kumar,” Qazi said. Talking about the second assassination, the foreign secretary said another Indian agent was involved in the killing of a Pakistani man, identified as Muhammad Riaz, who was assassinated during Fajr prayers inside a mosque in Rawalakot on September 8, 2023.
“Law enforcement agencies tracked the killer, Muhammad Abdullah Ali, and arrested him on September 15, 2023, while boarding a flight at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi,” Qazi stated, adding that interrogation revealed Ali was recruited and guided by Indian agents Ashok Kumar Anand and Yogesh Kumar.
