Indian spy agency fingered for targeted killings in Pakistan
According to a media investigation, the number of operations carried out abroad by the Research & Analysis Wing has increased since 2020. The agency reports directly to the Prime Minister’s Office. Islamabad has been reluctant to talk about it because the people targeted are terrorists or militants of groups Pakistan has always denied hosting.
Delhi (AsiaNews) – Earlier this month, India was accused of carrying out scores of targeted killings in Pakistan as part of a strategy to eliminate terrorist threats on foreign soil.
The news went relatively unnoticed compared to Canada's accusations against Indian intelligence of killing a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh activist promoting Khalistan's independence.
On that occasion, Delhi denied any involvement, but made no secret of targeting those who attempt to carry out terrorist activities in India and then take refuge abroad, particularly in Pakistan.
In fact, Pakistani authorities had already reported earlier this year that they had credible evidence linking Indian agents to the killing of two Pakistani citizens.
“We have documentary, financial and forensic evidence of the involvement of the two Indian agents who masterminded these killings,” said Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Qazi.
Over the years, the two rival countries have traded mutual accusations as they each claim the Kashmir region.
Delhi has repeatedly claimed that Islamabad trains and hosts Islamist militants who carry out attacks in the Indian-administered part of the Himalayan territory.
In early April, The Guardian published the results of an investigation that sheds new light on India's strategy.
Based on interviews with intelligence officials from both countries, it suggests that India began carrying out assassinations abroad as part of a new approach to national security starting in 2019.
Since 2020, however, the frequency of killings has increased and at least 20 murders have been carried out in Pakistan by the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), which is directly subordinate to the Prime Minister’s Office. The current office holder, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is likely to be re-elected in the upcoming elections, which began today.
According to Pakistani investigators, the killings were orchestrated by Indian intelligence cells based in the United Arab Emirates.
The spate of murders in 2023 has been attributed to the increased activity of these cells, which are accused of paying millions of rupees to local petty criminals or poor Pakistanis to get information about alleged terrorists or force them to carry out the killings.
Indian agents are said to have recruited jihadis, making them believe that their targets were "infidels".
For the first time, Indian intelligence officials commented the operations, explaining that the spy agency's focus on dissidents abroad began in 2019, when Modi was running for a second term.
At the time, the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist group carried out an attack on an Indian military convoy in Pulwama, Kashmir, killing 40 paramilitary personnel.
“After Pulwama, the approach changed to target the elements outside the country before they are able to launch an attack or create any disturbance,” one Indian intelligence operative said.
However, these operations “needed approval from the highest level of government”, he added.
According to analysts, Pakistani authorities did not publicise the murders because most of the targets were known terrorists or militants from groups that Islamabad denies harbouring.
Amir Tamba, a man who was acquitted of killing an Indian spy, was recently found dead in Lahore, Pakistani police officials in charge of the investigation said.
Tamba was suspected of killing Sarabjit Singh, an Indian citizen convicted of espionage in 1991 who was attacked by cellmates in 2013 in prison.
Again, the Pakistani media have been reluctant to comment on the news, unlike Indian media, even though Indian authorities did not issue any comment on the matter.
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