Report: Indian Govt. Ordered Assassinations in Pakistan

Report: Indian Govt. Ordered Assassinations in Pakistan
Photo: Gareth Copley/Staff/Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

The Facts

  • 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.

  • 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.


The Spin

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.

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.

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.


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