Pakistan asserted on Thursday that it possesses "credible evidence" pointing to connections between individuals it labels as "Indian agents" and the killings of two Pakistani terrorists associated with Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Sialkot and Rawalkot last year.
India swiftly rejected the accusation, dismissing it as "false and malicious" propaganda by Pakistan. Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary, claimed during a press conference in Islamabad that India was engaged in "extra-territorial and extra-judicial killings" within Pakistan.
Shahid Latif, a key aide to Jaish-e-Mohammed's chief Masood Azhar and the mastermind of the 2016 attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot, was fatally shot in a mosque in Sialkot on October 11, 2023. Another incident involved Riyaz Ahmad, also known as Abu Qasim, associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba, who was killed in Rawalkot on September 8, 2023.
Qazi alleged that "Indian agents" used technology and foreign safe havens to carry out these assassinations, recruiting, financing, and supporting individuals for defined roles. He pointed to Indian media and social media accounts glorifying the killings.
In response, India's External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, dismissed Pakistan's claims as "false and malicious anti-India propaganda." Jaiswal emphasized Pakistan's history as an epicenter of terrorism.
During the press conference, Qazi claimed that potential assassins were recruited through social media, talent spotters, and fake Daesh accounts. He detailed the alleged involvement of an Indian agent, Yogesh Kumar, based in a third country, orchestrating Latif's assassination.
Qazi also mentioned another case, implicating Indian agents Ashok Kumar Anand and Yogesh Kumar in the killing of Muhammad Riaz. The accused, Muhammad Abdullah Ali, was arrested in Karachi, with evidence linking the entire chain to Yogesh Kumar.
Pakistan's statement follows accusations by Canada and the United States, separately linking Indian agents to assassination attempts. While India rejected Ottawa's allegations, it initiated an investigation into Washington's claims.
(With Agency Inputs)
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