Pakistan has accused India of orchestrating “extra-territorial and extrajudicial” killings in the country, joining Canada and the United States that, too, are at loggerheads with New Delhi over such assassinations.
In the last two years, over a dozen people were assassinated in mysterious target killings in Pakistan. Most of those who were killed had one thing in common: they were either Kashmiris or linked with its cause and all of them wanted by India in one way or the other.
Pakistan, for so long, kept a mum over those mysterious killings. But on Thursday, Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi appeared at a news conference and disclosed that India was behind at least two cases based on the investigations conducted by the authorities so far.
“The first case is that of the assassination of Shahid Latif. On Oct 11, 2023, a group of criminals assassinated Shahid Latif outside a mosque in the city of Sialkot,” the foreign secretary told reporters.
A detailed investigation revealed that an Indian agent, Yogesh Kumar, based in a third country orchestrated the assassination through criminals and terrorists.
Kumar recruited Muhammad Umair, a labourer in that third country, to act as a contact with local criminals in Pakistan to trace and assassinate Latif.
The recruited local criminals were able to locate and trace Latif. However, the killers-for-hire were unable to carry out the execution.
After some failed attempts, Muhammad Umair was personally sent to Pakistan to carry out the assassination.
Umair organised a team of five target killers which after the first failed attempt on Oct 9, 2023, succeeded in assassinating Latif on Oct 11, 2023.
Based on confessional statements and technical evidence, the law enforcement authorities quickly apprehended the target killers, including Umair, who was trying to flee the country on Oct 12, 2023.
“All those [who were] involved in reconnaissance and killing have been apprehended and are being tried in court of law. We have evidence of transactions made in the process linking the entire chain to Indian agent Yogesh Kumar,” Syrus said.
Second case is that of the assassination of Muhammad Riaz.
“Another Indian agent was involved in the killing of another Pakistani national Muhammad Riaz, who was assassinated during Fajr prayer, in a mosque in Rawalakot on September 8, 2023,” the foreign secretary told reporters.
The law enforcement agencies tracked the killer Muhammad Abdullah Ali and apprehended him on Sept 15, 2023 while boarding a flight at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.
He said interrogation revealed that Ali was recruited and guided by Indian agents Ashok Kumar Anand and Kumar.
The Indian agents utilised social media app Telegram to recruit Ali, who was asked to locate Muhammad Riaz.
Ali received payments through middlemen based in a third country.
He was also provided with weapons and ammunition. After a failed attempt on Sept 7, 2023, Ali succeeded in killing Muhammad Riaz on Sept 8, 2023.
The law enforcement authorities apprehended Ali and his supporters and facilitators from various cities of Pakistan.
The case is being tried in a court of law.
Based on confessional statements of Ali and technical evidence, the investigators quickly identified the facilitators in Pakistan as well as in third countries.
“We have documentary, financial, and forensic evidence of the involvement of the two Indian agents, who masterminded these assassinations. We are releasing the passport details of Yogesh Kumar and Ashok Kumar. We have also reached out to the governments of relevant third counties. And as I said earlier, there are a few other cases of similar gravity at various stages of investigation,” according to the foreign secretary.
“We have credible evidence of links between Indian agents and assassination of two Pakistani nationals on Pakistani soil,” he said.
He added that those were killings-for-hire cases involving a sophisticated international set-up spread over multiple jurisdictions.
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.
The Indian media and the social media accounts immediately claimed and glorified these killings as successful retribution against “enemies” of India and projected their capacity to carry out these illegal acts. Potential assassins were recruited using social media, talent spotters, and fake Da’esh accounts.
He said there was complete compartmentalisation of the various components of the operation with employment of teams of financiers, locators, and assassins.
Elaborate exit plans were developed to obscure all potential tracks.
“At this stage, we are sharing information on two cases. A few other similar cases are under investigation and will be revealed in due course,” he added.
He said these cases revealed growing sophistication and brazenness of Indian-sponsored terrorist acts inside Pakistan.
“They fit the pattern of similar cases which have come to light in other countries, including Canada and the United States,”
Syrus said, pointing to similar assassination campaigns undertaken by India in Canada and the US.
“Clearly, the Indian network of extra-judicial and extra-territorial killings has become a global phenomenon.”
He said Pakistan had remained a target of extra-judicial killings for some time now.
“We are now witnessing an increased sophistication in these operations as revealed in these two cases.
“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 Pakistan and other countries,” he stressed.
The foreign secretary also pointed out that India’s assassination of Pakistani nationals on Pakistani soil was a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and a breach of the UN Charter.
“This violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty by India is completely unacceptable,” he further said.
He demanded that India must be held accountable internationally for its blatant violation of international law.
“Pakistan remains committed to protecting its people and securing its sovereignty. Protection of Pakistanis and any foreign national on Pakistani soil is a high priority for the government of Pakistan,” he said.
He maintained that India’s reckless and irresponsible act calls into question India’s reliability as a credible international player and its claims for enhanced global responsibilities.
