- On Thursday, The Guardian reported that the Indian government conducted targeted killings of individuals in neighboring Pakistan as part of a bid to eliminate alleged terrorists operating from foreign soil. Guardian (LR: 2 CP: 5)
- Citing intelligence inputs from both sides of the border, as well as evidence provided by Pakistani investigators, the article claims India's foreign intelligence agency has orchestrated at least 20 such assassinations since 2019. Guardian (LR: 2 CP: 5)
- Two Indian intelligence officers said the 2019 Pulwama terror attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed several Indian security personnel, prompted the Research Analysis Wing (RAW) to focus "on dissidents abroad." DAWN.COM
- The report alleges that, since then, Indian agents infiltrated units linked to the Taliban and networks of the Islamic State group, "recruit[ing] and groom[ing]" Pakistani militants to assassinate Indian dissidents living abroad. Scroll.in
- According to the report, killings were also carried out through a "murder-for-hire scheme" at the cost of millions of rupees each, which were orchestrated by sleeper cells operating out of the UAE by RAW. Independent (LR: 2 CP: 3)
- Last year, the US and Canada accused India of plotting to assassinate leaders of the Sikh separatist Khalistan movement in New York and British Columbia, respectively. India has denied any involvement. BBC News (LR: 3 CP: 5)
Narrative A:
- This is anti-India propaganda intended to tarnish the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a time when the country heads to the polls in a vote to extend his rule. Unlike the terror state of Pakistan, India doesn't conduct targeted killings in other countries — and Islamabad has already said that local gangs were to blame for these killings.
NEWS18
Narrative B:
- This report lends credence to previous allegations that New Delhi has been plotting unlawful extrajudicial assassinations in foreign countries for years. Since the prime minister's office controls the RAW, such covert operations couldn't have been carried out without Modi's approval. It's shameful that India acts as if it's above the law.
NEWS
Nerd narrative:
- There's a 15% chance that there will be 10 or more armed forces conflict deaths between India and Pakistan in 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)