In a major blow to the narrative adopted by the Indian external affairs ministry, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has confirmed allegations levelled by the British daily Guardian against New Delhi accusing it of killing people in other countries, especially in Pakistan.

Pakistan Foreign Office reacted to Rajnath’s “clear admission of culpability” by urging the international community to “hold India accountable for its heinous and illegal actions.”

The Guardian in one of its recent reports had claimed that Indian secret agencies killed at least 20 people in Pakistan. India is already facing similar charges of murdering or attempting to murder Sikh separatist leaders in North America. In September 2023, Canada expelled a senior Indian diplomat after Indian agents gunned down Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a strong supporter of an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan.

Reacting to the claims made by The Guardian, Rajnath Singh ended up confirming what the British daily said about the assassinations committed by Indian agents in Pakistan.

“If any terrorist tries to disturb the country’s peace, we will give a befitting reply. If they (terrorists) run back to Pakistan, to Pakistan mein ghus ke maarenge (We will go there and kill them),” the Defence Minister told CNN-News18.

India Today said, “Rajnath Singh was reacting to a report in The Guardian that blamed India for carrying out targeted killings in Pakistan.”

Rajnath Singh’s remarks undermine the Indian foreign ministry claims.

The Ministry of External Affairs responded to The Guardian by calling the allegations “false and malicious anti-India propaganda”.

Pakistan wants world to hold India accountable

Pakistan’s Foreign Office ‘denounced’ Rajnath’s remarks about Indian plans to assassinate more people inside Pakistan.

“Pakistan denounces the provocative remarks made by the Indian Defence Minister during a recent televised interview, the foreign office said in a statement issued on Saturday.

The statement said Rajnath’s remarks constituted a clear admission of culpability. “It is imperative for the international community to hold India accountable for its heinous and illegal actions,” it said.

The foreign office also said Pakistan was fully capable of defending itself and had busted the myth of Indian military superiority in February 2019 when it retaliated for an Indian airstrike in Pakistan by launching a similar raid in the Indian-occupied Kashmir and then shooting down an Indian MIG-21.

The full statement has been reproduced below.

Pakistan denounces the provocative remarks made by the Indian Defence Minister during a recent televised interview, in response to a media revelation regarding India’s clandestine operations within Pakistan.

On 25 January 2024, Pakistan provided irrefutable evidence, elucidating 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.

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.

India’s ruling dispensation habitually resorts to hateful rhetoric to fuel hyper-nationalistic sentiments, unapologetically exploiting such discourse for electoral gains.

Such myopic and irresponsible behaviour not only undermines regional peace but also impedes the prospects of constructive engagement in the long term.

Pakistan has always demonstrated its commitment to peace in the region. However, our desire for peace should not be misconstrued. History attests to Pakistan’s firm resolve and ability to protect and defend itself.