Lahore (TIP): Hours after Pakistan claimed that it had “credible evidence” of links between “Indian agents” and the murders of two Pakistani terrorists associated with the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e-Taiba in Sialkot and Rawalkot last year, New Delhi termed the claim as Islamabad’s latest attempt at “peddling false and malicious anti-India propaganda”.
Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday, “We have seen media reports regarding certain remarks by the Pakistan foreign secretary. It is Pakistan’s latest attempt at peddling false and malicious anti-India propaganda.”
“As the world knows, Pakistan has long been the epicentre of terrorism, organised crime and illegal transnational activities. India and many other countries have publicly warned Pakistan cautioning that it would be consumed by its own culture of terror and violence. Pakistan will reap what it sows. To blame others for its own misdeeds can neither be a justification nor a solution,” he said. Earlier in the day, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi alleged at a press conference in Islamabad that India was carrying out “extraterritorial and extrajudicial killings” inside Pakistan.
Shahid Latif, a key aide to Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and the mastermind of the 2016 attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot, was gunned down in a mosque at Sialkot in Punjab province on October 11, 2023. On September 8, 2023, Riyaz Ahmad alias Abu Qasim, who was affiliated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba and one of the main conspirators behind the Dhangri terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on January 1, 2023, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen inside the Al-Qudus mosque during pre-dawn prayers in the Rawalakot area in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
He alleged that Kumar recruited Muhammad Umair, a labourer in the third country, to act as a contact with local criminals in Pakistan to trace and assassinate Latif. However, “they were unable to carry out the execution”, he added.
He also said that “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.” (PTI)
Tag: Jaish-e-Mohammed
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‘False and malicious propaganda’: India dismisses Pak claims of role in terrorists’ killings in Sialkot and PoK
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US regards India as the “Closest Ally” & will be ready to support its war on terrorism
It is for India to take advantage of a sea of US goodwill
By Ven Parmeswaran The US has recommended that India must get rid of Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba thru surgical strikes. It is implied that once India decides, both the U.S. and India would jointly formulate military strategy and execute it.
Pakistan sponsored Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist organization, killed 41 Indian para military personnel on February 13th. Immediately upon hearing the news, a chain of successive events took place in Washington D.C. The Secretary of State and the National Security Adviser issued statements of strongest support to India. This was followed by discussion on the situation in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. All important and leading senators and congressmen/women condemned Pakistan and extended political support to India. The Chief of the US Central Command, General Joseph Votel gave his assessment to the Congress and offered support to India.
The US has recommended that India must get rid of Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba thru surgical strikes. It is implied that once India decides, both the U.S. and India would jointly formulate military strategy and execute it. Indian Ambassador Shringla said: “The designation of India as a Major Defense Partner was also codified into law by the US Congress in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2017, thanks to the unstinted support of the members of the India Caucus.”
President Trump has been demanding that Pakistan dismantle all terror cells and organizations inside Pakistan. He is the first US President to cancel military aid to Pakistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan has been wanting to meet President Trump to seek support for loans from the I.M.F. President Trump has told him that unless he gets rid of all terror outfits and terrorists from Pakistan, he would not support Pakistan’s request.
Pakistan was defeated by India in three conventional wars. India defeated Pakistan in its third war and Pakistan lost East Pakistan. Since then, Pakistan has been using the homegrown terrorist organizations, such as Jaish-e-Mohammed; Lashkar-e-Taiba; and others as proxy to fight India. This resulted in attacks on the Indian Parliament, , New Delhi shopping mall, and the City of Mumbai that killed 165 Indians and foreigners.
Pakistan is controlled by its military and the I.S.I., its intelligence agency. The military has selected its Prime Minister and therefore the Parliament is a joke. Because India so far has not retaliated, Pakistan has taken advantage and continues to use the terrorists to attack India.
India’s new Ambassador to the U.S.A., Harsh Vardhan Shringla after presenting his credentials to President Trump was given the most enthusiastic reception at the Capitol Hill. This was attended by more senators and congressmen/women than ever before. The grand reception given to Ambassador Shringla is a reflection of India-US relations, with India now branded as “CLOSEST ALLY”. The chain of events in Washington after Pakistan’s attack in Kashmir reinforces President Trump’s new policy towards South Asia. India should be pleased because the “CLOSEST ALLY” status has bipartisan support. It is time for India to take full advantage of the US support and draw up a plan to end the scourge of terrorism from inside Pakistan.
(The author, in the U.S. for 65 years, lives in Scarsdale, N.Y. He is a Senior Adviser to Imagindia Institute, New Delhi, a think tank. He can be reached at vpwaren@gmail.com)