Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi on Thursday said Islamabad had “credible evidence” of links between Indian agents and the assassination of two Pakistani nationals in Sialkot and Rawalakot.
Qazi was referring to the deaths of two Pakistanis, identified as Shahid Latif and Muhammad Riaz, in 2023. Similar allegations regarding the Indian government’s involvement in murders in other countries were also made by the US and Canada last year.
At a press briefing in Islamabad today, the foreign secretary said India was running a “sophisticated and sinister” campaign of “extra-territorial and extra-judicial killings” inside Pakistan. He stated that these were “killing-for-hire cases” and involved a “sophisticated international set-up spread over multiple jurisdictions”.
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“Indian agents used technology and safe havens on foreign soil to commit assassinations in Pakistan. They recruited, financed and supported criminals, terrorists and unsuspecting civilians to play defined roles in these assassinations,” he said.
According to Qazi, Indian media and social media accounts immediately claimed and glorified these killings as “successful retribution against enemies of India and projected their capacity to carry out these illegal acts”.
He said potential assassins were recruited using social media, talent spotters and fake Daesh accounts. “Teams of financiers, locaters and assassins were employed in the operation,” Qazi stated, adding that deliberate exit plans were also developed to obscure all potential tracks.
Revealing details about the assassinations, he said: “On October 11, 2023, Mr Shahid Latif was assassinated outside a mosque in Sialkot. A detailed investigation revealed that an Indian agent, Yogesh Kumar, based in a third country orchestrated the assassination.”
Qazi said Kumar recruited Muhammad Umair, a labourer in the third country, to act as a contact with local criminals in Pakistan to trace and assassinate Shahid Latif. “They recruited local criminals who were able to locate and trade Shahid Latif, however, they were unable to carry out the execution.”
“After some of the failed attempts, Umair himself was personally sent to Pakistan to carry out the assassination,” the foreign secretary said, adding that Umair organised a team of five target killers and succeeded in assassinating Shahid Latif.
“Based on the confessional statements and technical evidence, law enforcement authorities quickly apprehended the target killers, including Muhammad Umair, who were trying to flee the country on Oct 12, 2023,” Qazi said.
