Islamabad has reacted sharply to Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh’s statement to a television channel on extra judicial killings in foreign soil. Saying that India would not hesitate to go after those who indulge in terrorist activities and hide across the border, he said "Pakistan mein ghus ke marenge’’.
The defence minister’s remarks was in context of a recent report in the London’s Guardian newspaper about clandestine killings directed by India’s spy agency of people involved in deadly terror attacks in the country. Most of them flee across the border to Pakistan after such strikes. New Delhi had always denied such charges. But as the paper pointed out "India’s defence minister has appeared to confirm that the government carried out extrajudicial killings in neighbouring Pakistan, after a Guardian report on the alleged assassinations.’’
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The Pakistan foreign office statement "denounced" the minister’s words as "provocative’’ and went on to say that Islamabad has long suspected India’s hand in these killings. All those killed were involved in terror strikes in India.
"On 25 January 2024, Pakistan provided irrefutable evidence, elucidating India's campaign of extrajudicial and transnational assassinations on Pakistani soil. India's assertion of its preparedness to extra-judicially execute more civilians, arbitrarily pronounced as "terrorists", inside Pakistan constitutes a clear admission of culpability’’ the statement continued. "It is imperative for the international community to hold India accountable for its heinous and illegal actions."
Rajnath Singh’s interview has come at a time when both Canada and the US has charged New Delhi of extra judicial killings of Khalistani militants. Last year Hardeep Singh Nijjar of the Khalistan Tiger Force was gunned down outside a gurdwara in Canada. Prime Minister Justine Trudeau accused the Indian government of engineering the killing. However as of now Canada has not provided India with sufficient evidence.
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The US also charged an Indian government official with a plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun from the banned Sikhs for Justice outfit. Though the attempt was foiled, the US has provided enough information to the government for a thorough investigation.
This will give fresh ammunition to Pakistan to lobby Western governments against India. Pakistan Dawn newspaper said in an editorial today: A string of mysterious killings in Pakistan over the past few years was widely believed to be the handiwork of Indian intelligence. This assumption was strengthened by the fact that most victims were linked to Kashmir-centric armed groups, while in at least two cases the assassinations were publicly linked to India by the foreign secretary.’’ The editorial further said :`` The Foreign Office has said those responsible for the murders need to be brought to justice, while also emphasising the need for a coordinated international response to India’s brazenness. If India has evidence against individuals, it must use diplomatic channels to communicate the information to Islamabad. By no means can India or any other hostile foreign actor act unilaterally within Pakistan’s frontiers, and arbitrarily take out individuals.’’
Both the foreign office and the press in Pakistan are on the same page here. In a pointed dig at New Delhi the foreign office statement also said: "Pakistan stands resolute in its intent and ability to safeguard its sovereignty against any act of aggression, as demonstrated by its robust response to India's reckless incursion in February 2019, which laid bare India's hollow claims of military superiority.’’
And added: "India's ruling dispensation habitually resorts to hateful rhetoric to fuel hyper-nationalistic sentiments, unapologetically exploiting such discourse for electoral gains. Such myopic and irresponsible behaviour not only undermines regional peace but also impedes the prospects of constructive engagement in the long term.’’
