Pakistan has “credible evidence” for Indian agents’ link to the killings of two of its citizens on Pakistani soil, Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi said Thursday, exposing the “sophisticated and sinister” Indian campaign of extra-territorial and extra-judicial killings.
The statement comes months after both Canada and the United States separately accused Indian agents of being linked to assassination attempts on their soil. However, New Delhi has rejected Ottawa’s allegations and has launched an investigation into Washington’s claims.
“These are killings-for-hire cases involving a sophisticated international set-up spread over multiple jurisdictions,” Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi told reporters during a press conference in Islamabad.
Already strained by historical baggage and border disputes, Islamabad and New Delhi’s ties hit new lows after 2016’s Kulbushan Yadav spy arrest and the 2019 revocation of Indian Illegal Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) special status.
The Kashmir move, a blatant violation of international laws, froze diplomacy and choked trade between the two adjoining countries. Pakistan has, for more than four years, conditioned restoring ties with its nuclear neighbour to the restoration of IIOJK’s special status.
“India’s reckless and irresponsible act calls into question its reliability as a credible international player and its claims for enhanced global responsibilities,” the top diplomat said.
Providing details of the “sophisticated and sinister” Indian campaign of killings inside Pakistan, Qazi said that the 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 added.
The foreign secy blasted Indian media and social media accounts for their quick claims and glorification of the said killings as “successful retribution against ‘enemies’ of India” and projecting their capacity to carry out these illegal acts.
“Potential assassins were recruited, using social media, talent spotters and fake Da’esh accounts,” Qazi said.
He said that there was complete compartmentalisation of the various components of the operation with the employment of teams of financiers, locators, and assassins.
“Elaborate exit plans were developed to obscure all potential tracks.”
