Amidst rising tensions, recent revelations expose India's covert aggression, challenging democratic ideals. What repercussions might this have on regional stability, especially concerning its neighbors?

Indian aggression towards its neighbors has always been a contentious issue, but recent developments are particularly alarming. The new facet of this aggression includes extra judicial and extraterritorial killings, which the Indian government has reportedly endorsed. Disturbingly, Indian leadership appears to have tacitly approved these actions. This nationalist agenda is now undermining the principles of the world's largest democracy, leading to non-democratic practices both within India and globally.
In a recent report by The Guardian, it was revealed that the Indian government has resorted to the killing of 20 Pakistanis since the year 2020.1 When the question was put to Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, he didn't deny the report, yet asserted that India would enter Pakistan to chase and hunt those whom they perceive to be India's enemies. This is an extraordinary statement that the Indian Defense Minister made, with several consequences. 

In a recent report by The Guardian, it was revealed that the Indian government has resorted to the killing of 20 Pakistanis since the year 2020.  When the question was put to Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, he didn't deny the report, yet asserted that India would enter Pakistan to chase and hunt those whom they perceive to be India's enemies.

Let’s take the relationship between Pakistan and India in the recent past as a case study. Since at least 2016, India has been carrying out false flag operations inside Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), using them as a casus belli for surgical strikes and attacks on Pakistani territory. These false flag operations were undertaken to achieve political objectives during crucial political moments inside India. The Indian government and media made false claims to persuade domestic audiences against Pakistan and convince them to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This strategy has been effective for them. However, since Pakistani and international media have effectively exposed it, the Indian government is now hindered from pursuing it further. The question is how to achieve these political objectives without resorting to such drama?

The Indian Defense Minister’s tacit acknowledgment of The Guardian’s revelations indicates a new normal that the Indian government has adopted to present their case to the domestic audience. He is making the point that the Indian government has been and will be conducting covert operations to kill anyone they choose. 

In September last year, Canada revealed that Indian agents were involved in the killing of a Sikh leader who was a Canadian citizen. The row between India and Canada was intense, and the Indian government agreed to investigate the matter. In December last year, the U.S. reported that it had foiled a plot by Indian nationals to kill another Sikh leader on its territory. In January 2024, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary held a press conference and presented evidence of the killing of two Pakistanis by Indian agents inside Pakistan. Now, The Guardian’s report substantiates all these heinous acts by the Indian government.
The Indian Defense Minister’s tacit acknowledgment of The Guardian’s revelations indicates a new normal that the Indian government has adopted to present their case to the domestic audience. He is making the point that the Indian government has been and will be conducting covert operations to kill anyone they choose. He is also justifying extraterritorial and extrajudicial killings as legitimate for the Indian government. Therefore, the sane voices in India must pay heed to such claims, which are against the norms by which humanity is governed. This is also a concern for the international community and human rights activists, who should voice their objections to India's acceptance of such extreme bellicosity. For India's neighbors, this is particularly worrisome, as no one is now safe from Indian agents who can infiltrate sovereign territories of other countries and carry out tasks for the Indian government without regard for the morality of their actions.

For India's neighbors, this is particularly worrisome, as no one is now safe from Indian agents who can infiltrate sovereign territories of other countries and carry out tasks for the Indian government without regard for the morality of their actions.

Previously, the Indian government was reluctant to accept extraterritorial and extrajudicial killings because they could achieve their campaign goals by orchestrating false flag operations. However, now they aim to convince their people of the Indian intelligence agencies' capability to carry out covert operations. Since the Indian government has resorted to this new normal, Pakistan should be the most concerned, as the "Pakistan factor” is the most significant element in any crisis within India. In his last speech during political campaigning, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi blamed Congress for disbursing Indian taxpayers' money to people who have “the greatest number of children and are terrorists,” indirectly referring to not only Muslims residing inside India but also anywhere in the world. This is a despicable comment unworthy of a Prime Minister who leads a so-called secular country.

In his last speech during political campaigning, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi blamed Congress for disbursing Indian taxpayers' money to people who have “the greatest number of children and are terrorists,” indirectly referring to not only Muslims residing inside India but also anywhere in the world.

Is it still not a wake-up call for world leaders to pay attention to the words and deeds of Indian political leadership? Does it still leave doubt about the malicious intentions that the Indian political hierarchy harbors to accomplish its nefarious political objectives? Whatever the world leaders' perspective on this issue, it is certainly a matter of great concern for Pakistan, which has been hoping for good relations with all its neighbors. The Indian leadership, however, has not only been unnecessarily criticizing Pakistan but is now bent on adopting an aggressive posture to further deteriorate the already tense relations between the two countries.

The writer is a freelance columnist and currently working at the Institute of Regional Studies.
E-mail: [email protected]

1 Ellis-Petersen, Hannah, Aakash Hassan, and Shah Meer Baloch. 2024. “Indian Government Ordered Killings in Pakistan, Intelligence Officials Claim.” The Guardian, April 4, 2024, sec. World news.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/04/indian-government-assassination-allegations-pakistan-intelligence-officials#:~:text=Every%20intelligence%20agency%20has%20been.