In an explosive reportage, the Guardian claimed that Indian and Pakistani intelligence sources have disclosed to them that India orchestrated the killing of individuals in Pakistan as a strategic maneuver to eradicate terrorists residing on foreign soil.
The Guardian further claimed that insights from interviews with intelligence officials from both nations and revelations from documents provided by Pakistani investigators unveil a shift in tactics by India’s foreign intelligence agency, the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), after 2019.
National security
The alleged assassination operations abroad are portrayed as part of a more assertive national security agenda under the direct control of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office, who is currently campaigning for a third term in office ahead of imminent Lok Sabha elections.
Fresh evidence appears to reinforce accusations that New Delhi has adopted a policy aimed at eliminating individuals deemed hostile to India.
While the recent allegations focus on individuals facing serious terror charges, India has faced public accusations from Washington and Ottawa regarding its involvement in the killings of dissidents, including a Sikh activist in Canada, and an attempted assassination of another Sikh in the US last year.
The latest claims center around nearly 20 killings in Pakistan since 2020, executed by unidentified gunmen. Although India has previously been unofficially linked to these deaths, this marks the first instance where Indian intelligence personnel have openly discussed alleged operations in Pakistan, with detailed documentation alleging RAW’s direct engagement in these assassinations.
Furthermore, the allegations imply that Sikh separatists associated with the Khalistan movement were targeted as part of India’s foreign operations, both in Pakistan and the West.
According to Pakistani investigators, these killings were orchestrated by Indian intelligence sleeper cells predominantly operating from the United Arab Emirates.
The surge in assassinations in 2023 is attributed to heightened activity of these cells, accused of offering substantial sums to local criminals or economically disadvantaged Pakistanis to carry out the killings, the Guardian reported. Additionally, Indian agents purportedly recruited jihadists to conduct the shootings, manipulating them into believing they were targeting “infidels.”
Triggered by Pulwama attack
The Guardian further reported that the targetted killings were triggered by the Pulwama attacks.
Quoting an Indian intelligence operative, it reported, “After Pulwama, the approach changed to target the elements outside the country before they are able to launch an attack or create any disturbance. We could not stop the attacks because ultimately their safe havens were in Pakistan, so we had to get to the source.”
The officer noted that India had looked to intelligence agencies like Israel’s Mossad and Russia’s KGB, both of which have been associated with extrajudicial killings abroad, as models. Additionally, the officer stated that RAW officials directly cited the assassination of Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed in 2018 inside the Saudi embassy, as a precedent.
‘If Saudis can, why not us’
Quoting the operative further, the Guardian reported, “It was a few months after the killing of Jamal Khashoggi that there was a debate among the top brass of intelligence in the prime minister’s office about how something can be learned from the case. One senior officer said in a meeting that if Saudis can do this, why not us?”
“What the Saudis did was very effective. You not only get rid of your enemy but send a chilling message, a warning to the people working against you. Every intelligence agency has been doing this. Our country cannot be strong without exerting power over our enemies,” the Guardian quoted the Indian intelligence operative as saying.
What Pakistan intelligence officials said
High-ranking officials from two distinct Pakistani intelligence agencies have voiced suspicions regarding India’s alleged involvement in approximately 20 killings since 2020. They highlighted evidence from previously undisclosed investigations into seven of these cases, citing witness testimonies, arrest records, financial documents, WhatsApp communications, and passport records. According to the investigators, these materials provide intricate insights into the operations carried out by Indian agents to eliminate targets within Pakistan. While the Guardian said it has reviewed the documents, their authenticity could not be independently verified, it added.
What Indian government said
India’s Ministry of External Affairs vehemently denied all allegations, dismissing them as “false and malicious anti-India propaganda”. The ministry reiterated that targeted killings were not part of the government of India’s policy, echoing a previous denial issued by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
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