• Spokesperson says India’s tactics undermine regional peace, impede prospects of constructive engagement
• Affirms Rajnath Singh’s remarks confirm Indian operatives conducted assassinations abroad
• Khawaja Asif says anti-Pakistan remarks by Indian leaders before polls aim to gain public support

ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan on Saturday emphatically affirmed its unwavering commitment to saf­e­guard its sovereignty, hig­hlighting its proven capability to defend its territorial integrity against any external threats.

“Pakistan stands resolute in its intent and ability to safeguard its sovereignty against any act of aggression, as demonstrated by its robust response to India’s reckless incursion in February 2019, which laid bare India’s hollow claims of military superiority,” the Foreign Office said in response to a statement by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh that seemed to be confirming that India conducted an assassinations campaign inside Pakistan.

Mr Singh in a TV interview said: “If any terrorist from a neighbouring country tries to disturb India or carry out terrorist activities here, he will be given a fitting reply. If he escapes to Pakistan we will go to Pakistan and kill him there.”

Mr Singh’s comments followed the publishing of an article by the British newspaper, The Guardian, on India conducting targeted killings on Pakistani territory.

Amid an election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi subtly referenced these extraterritorial operations in a speech, stating: “Today’s India goes inside enemy territory to strike.”

Mr Singh’s remarks constituted the first official confirmation by a senior Indian official that its intelligence operatives conducted assassinations abroad.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, echoing the position taken by the Foreign Office, warned India against any misadventure and said that in such a case a befitting response would be given.

The FO, while condemning Mr Singh’s statement, described it as “myopic and irresponsible”.

According to the statement, Delhi often engages in such rhetoric, deliberately stirring up extreme nationalistic fervour and unabashedly using this narrative for electoral gains.

India is currently in an election mode with polls barely two weeks away. Prime Minister Modi is seeking a third term in office.

Khawaja Asif also linked Indian leaders’ statements to the upcoming elections. “Anti-Pakistan statements are aimed at gaining public support,” he maintained.

The FO warned that such tactics not only undermine regional peace but also impede the prospects of constructive engagement in the long term.

The FO reminded that it had on Jan 25 provided “irrefutable evidence” of India’s campaign of extrajudicial and transnational assassinations on Pakis­tani soil.

“India’s assertion of its preparedness to extra-judicially execute more civilians, arbitrarily pronounced as ‘terrorists’, inside Pakistan constitutes a clear admission of culpability. It is imperative for the international community to hold India accountable for its heinous and illegal actions,” it maintained.

According to The Guardian report, the Indian government had killed about 20 people in Pakistan since 2020 as part of a broader plan to target “terrorists residing on foreign soil”.

Canada and the United States last year accused India of killing or attempting to kill people in those countries.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2024