On 4 Apr, the Guardian reported on the Indian government's role in the assassination of individuals in Pakistan as part of a wider strategy to eliminate ‘terrorists’ living on foreign soil. The report was based on interviews with Indian intelligence operatives and documents shared by Pakistan investigators. These assassinations were carried out by the Research & Analysis Wing which is directly controlled by the office of India’s PM Narendra Modi. The claims relate to almost 20 killings since 2020, carried out by unknown gunmen mostly operating out of the United Arab Emirates. Among those killed are Harmeet Singh alias Happy PhD of Khalistan Liberation Force; Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda of Babbar Khalsa International; Paramjit Singh Panjwar of Khalistan Commando Force; Lakhbir Singh Rode of International Sikh Youth Federation, though the death was attributed to heart attack, and others. Initially, the Indian govt. denied the allegations. By the next day, the govt. changed its tune to confrontational and chest thumping as in 2019 after the Pulwama attack in which 40 security personnel were killed. Then PM Modi had said, ‘ghar mein ghuss ke marenge’ (India strikes within enemy territory). On 5 Apr, Modi said, ‘Today, even the enemy is aware that the new India under Modi is fearless and takes stern action when the need arises. We strike within enemy territory.’ Similarly Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh repeated the assertion. These assertions bolster BJP’s chances in elections as voters like it that India is assertive and can kill anyone it deems a ‘terrorist.’ These assertions disprove the ‘rogue’ operative claim India made on incidents in the UK, the US, and Canada (SDW Vol. 2 Issue 13, Story 1).
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