India will enter Pakistan to kill anyone who escapes over the border after trying to carry out terrorist activities in the country, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told broadcaster CNN News18 on April 5.Over 20 dreaded terrorists, all on India’s most wanted list, were mysteriously killed in Pakistan and Canada over the last two years. All those killed were linked to terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and the banned Khalistan Tiger Force. While Pakistan continued to be in a denial mode on terrorists enjoying safe haven on its soil, the killing of these individuals, many of whom were involved in terror attacks in India, nailed Islamabad’s lies. Pakistan had pinned the blame on Indian intelligence operatives for these killings.
Amidst all the killings in Pakistan, the focus also shifted to Ottawa as Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed on Canadian soil, which triggered a massive diplomatic face-off between India and Canada following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations of India’s role in the killing of a Khalistani terrorist. As these terrorists continued to fall prey to assassins’ bullets, questions were raised in various circles as to who killed India’s enemies on Pakistani and Canadian soil. Are the Indian secret agents behind the neutralisation of India’s most wanted terrorists as has been claimed recently by The Guardian, the world’s leading daily from the UK, in a report quoting unnamed Indian and Pakistani intelligence operatives?
The London-based newspaper reported that the Indian government ordered killings in Pakistan “as part of a wider strategy to eliminate terrorists on foreign soil.” The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has denied the claims by the UK newspaper reiterating an earlier statement that they were “false and malicious anti-India propaganda.” But the report has bolstered the narrative that the present dispensation in India has a zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism emanating from Pakistan or any other safe haven abroad. The Guardian’s “disclosure” report assumes significance as it came close on the heels of Prime Minister Modi’s statement at a rally in Bihar who said, “Aaj Ka Bharat Ghar Mein Ghus Ke Marta Hai”. Many termed the international media report as a great boost for the image of India in this context.
As The Guardian’s report spotlights India’s no-nonsense approach towards terrorism, internal and external security experts are recounting how terrorists on India’s most wanted list were killed one by one in Pakistan and Canada over the last two years. They went down like ninepins on the territory under the control of Pakistan and Canada. Within the first fortnight of November last year, three LeT and JeM terrorists had been shot dead in Pakistan. Security officials see the same pattern in each case of killing. Notwithstanding, the message is clear. The terrorists can no longer sleep peacefully.
