'Reason to vote for Modi': Pakistan trolled for repeating Indian agents behind targeted killings claim (WATCH)

“India's network of espionage, subversion and extraterritorial and extrajudicial killings has been very active in South Asia over the last decades, has expanded to several continents. It's now an issue of concern for the international community," Baloch said in her weekly briefing.

Sunita Iyer

First Published May 2, 2024, 11:08 PM IST | Last Updated May 2, 2024, 11:08 PM IST

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, spokesperson for Pakistan's Foreign Office, ignited a storm of controversy on Thursday by accusing India of involvement in terrorism within and beyond Pakistan's borders. The remarks, which were met with staunch condemnation from Indians, have further strained the already tense relations between the two South Asian neighbors.

She further added, "Pakistan has presented concrete evidence of involvement of Indian agents in terror attacks inside Pakistan and extraterritorial and extrajudicial killings of Pakistani nationals on Pakistani territory. These acts are illegal. These are in violation of international law of UN Charter and the basic precepts of justice and due process."

"We therefore urge the international community to hold India to account for its illegal acts and for the actions it's taking in foreign countries in violation of international law," Baloch added.

Baloch's assertions, labeling India as an instigator of terrorism on a global scale, have drawn sharp reactions from Indians on social media platforms. However, a few Indian claimed her address is a 'great endorsement for PM Narendra Modi'.

"Pakistan should share dossier," quipped another user on X, formerly Twitter.

A third user said, "Reason to vote for Modi."

Last month, Indian officials dismissed The Guardian's report claiming New Delhi orchestrated killings of individuals in Pakistan as part of a bid to eliminate terrorists living on foreign soil.

Officials were quoted as saying that the article by the British daily is 'false and fabricated', and designed to malign PM Modi. They accused Pakistan’s notorious spy agency i.e. the ISI of carrying out the assassinations.

According to The Guardian, referencing undisclosed intelligence sources, nearly 20 assassinations have occurred in Pakistan since 2020, executed by unidentified gunmen. The report highlighted a notable surge in these targeted killings during 2023. Specifically, seven individuals, labeled as high-priority targets by Indian authorities, were eliminated in Pakistan by unidentified assailants during that year.

“This policy of Indian agents organising killings in Pakistan hasn’t been developed overnight. We believe they have worked for around two years to establish these sleeper cells in the UAE who are mostly organising the executions. After that, we began witnessing many killings,” a Pakistani official was quoted b y the publication.

The report implied that India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) established a sleeper cell in the UAE to coordinate and execute the assassinations. Allegedly, Indian officials provided substantial sums of money to financially struggling Pakistanis, and in some cases, persuaded jihadists to carry out the killings, exploiting their belief that they were targeting "infidels."

Analysts speculate that Pakistan has been hesitant to openly acknowledge these killings because many of the victims are recognized terrorists and affiliates of banned militant organizations, which Islamabad has persistently denied harboring.

In the wake of the report, Defence expert Sanjay Kulkarni was quoted as saying, "These are false allegations. All these killings happened as part of a local gang war. These have nothing to do with the Indian government."

“The Pakistan government has already said that the Baloch Liberation Front and local gangs are responsible,” he had further added.

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