India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), has allegedly carried out targeted killings deep within Pakistan since 2021, according to The Washington Post investigation that cites Pakistani and Western officials, plus police and family testimonies. One reported case involves the fatal shooting of gangster Amir Sarfaraz (alias Tamba) in Lahore, allegedly as revenge for his role in killing an Indian intelligence agent in 2011. Washington Post claims that Indian PM Narendra Modi’s govt.—portrayed as more aggressive than previous govt.s towards who it considers dissidents outside of its borders—refined these covert operations in Pakistan before applying similar methods to Sikh separatists in Canada and the US. Pakistani officials say RAW hired local criminals or Afghan operatives, arranged operations via intermediaries in Dubai, and channeled payments through worldwide hawala (informal money transfer) networks to maintain deniability. Adding to the tensions, frequent incidents of Global Positioning System (GPS) interference, including ‘spoofing’ with false signals, have been reported near India’s borders with Pakistan and Myanmar, placing them among the top five global regions for such navigation disruptions. The GPS jam portal corroborates these findings, indicating that more than 10% of aircraft transiting these areas experienced low navigation accuracy. The International Civil Aviation Organization, meeting from 26 Aug to 6 Sep 2024, expressed serious concerns about the escalation of such interference. Meanwhile, multiple Indian news outlets recently ran stories falsely claiming that four Indian nationals charged with the June 2023 murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar had been released. The British Columbia Prosecution Service confirmed no bail or release has been granted. The misinformation stemmed from confusion around court documents after prosecutors transferred the case to a higher court. The misinformation campaign reflects a broader pattern of disinformation within most Indian mainstream media circles.
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