Like the Jewish State, India too is guilty of repeated violations of the international law and it is time the world community takes serious notice of the growing intransigence of New Delhi that poses grave threats to regional and global peace and security. Apart from what it is doing to Kashmiris, who are demanding nothing but their birth right of self-determination, India is trampling on the rights of its minorities, especially Muslims and Sikhs and its secret agencies are also engaged in killing its own nationals and others abroad. The latest is the revelation by Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi that Pakistan has “credible evidence” on Indian agents’ link to the killing of two of its citizens on Pakistani soil, exposing the “sophisticated and sinister” Indian campaign of extra-territorial and extra-judicial killings.
This is yet another manifestation of India’s scant respect for international law despite its eagerness to capture a permanent berth at the UN Security Council. In fact, there is strong and undeniable evidence to confirm that India was a state-sponsor of terrorism and Pakistan exposed the ugly face of the neighbouring country in comprehensive dossiers that were provided to the United Nations and important world capitals detailing Indian involvement in acts of terrorism and sabotage in Balochistan, KP and Karachi. The statement of the Foreign Secretary comes after both Canada and the United States separately accused Indian agents of being linked to assassination attempts on their soil. These episodes triggered diplomatic tension with these countries that strongly condemned the incidents and wanted an explanation from New Delhi. The Foreign Secretary rightly pointed out that these are killings-for-hire cases involving a sophisticated international set-up spread over multiple jurisdictions. Providing details of the “sophisticated and sinister” Indian campaign of killings inside Pakistan, Qazi said the Indian agents used technology and safe havens on foreign soil to commit assassinations in Pakistan. All this shows the scale and magnitude of India’s clandestine operations to eliminate voices of dissent in foreign countries and that this is being done as a state policy in the absence of any worthwhile response to such gruesome acts by the members of the international community. This is also confirmed by the reaction of the Indian media and social media, which were quick in claiming credit for such operations and glorification of the said killings as “successful retribution against ‘enemies’ of India” and projecting their capacity to carry out these illegal acts. What Pakistan said were not mere accusations as all those involved in reconnaissance and killing have been apprehended and are being tried in a court of law. Pakistan also has evidence of transactions made in the process linking the entire chain to an Indian agent Yogesh Kumar. Credit also goes to the investigators for identifying quickly the facilitators inside the country and in the third countries on the basis of confessional statements and technical evidence. As highlighted by the Foreign Secretary, these cases fit the pattern of similar cases that have come to light in other countries, including Canada and the United States, clearly showing that the Indian network of extra-judicial and extra-territorial killings has become a global phenomenon. The latest incidents constitute grave violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and warrant a strong response as protection of its own people and the foreign nationals on the soil of Pakistan is the fundamental responsibility of the Government. India previously carried out air attack in Balakot and received a befitting response and a firm message was also transmitted by Pakistan when it lost no time in responding to the violation of its sovereignty by Iran. Apart from sponsoring acts of terrorism in neighbouring countries, India is also usurping rights of its minorities in a crude manner as evident in Jammu and Kashmir, Indian Punjab, Nagaland and other regions. The recent events in the backdrop of construction of Ram Temple in place of a historical mosque in Ayodhya also speak volumes about the plight of Muslim in that country. Emboldened by the officially-sponsored discrimination against Muslims, extremist Hindus demolished shops and vandalized transport owned by Muslims. Aaker Patel of Amnesty International said in a statement that this week’s drive in Mumbai represented a “policy of arbitrarily and punitively demolishing Muslim properties following episodes of communal violence”. Official demolition drives have also been employed in numerous Indian states ruled by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in recent years against the homes of people accused of participating in anti-government protests but main targets have always been Muslims. Following religious clashes sparked by this week’s opening of the controversial Hindu temple in India, Pakistan has urged the United Nations to take action for the protection of Islamic sites in India. Pakistan’s UN envoy Munir Akram shared the plea during an OIC ambassadorial meeting at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday, condemning the recent consecration of the Ram temple on the site of the demolished Babri Masjid. The Ambassador also addressed a letter to Miguel Angel Moratinos, a top official for the UN Alliance of Civilisations cautioning that this trend poses a significant threat to the social, economic and political wellbeing of Indian Muslims as well as to the harmony and peace in the region. The letter by Pakistan’s UN envoy highlighted the urgency for intervention in safeguarding Islamic heritage sites in India but practical moves will have to be initiated to pressurize India to respect religious rights of Muslim and their cultural heritage as apart from Ayodhya, a number of other mosques in many cities and regions also face existential threats on the basis of false claims being made by Hindu zealots. We hope that the upcoming OIC ambassadorial meeting would address these concerns on a broader scale and recommend a concrete plan of action to the OIC besides formulating a united policy at UN and other international forums. In light of the killings of two individuals by Indian agents, Pakistan should take the issue to all available forums and seek a UN-led probe to look into the extra-judicial killings and state-sponsored terrorism by India. The evidence that Pakistan posses should also be shared with the United Nations and friendly countries to expose India’s black face.
