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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said the government will not shy away in taking down terrorists even hiding in Pakistan, if they try to disturb peace in India.
Singh’s strong message to Pakistan came on a query on a news report published by The Guardian, the leading English daily of United Kingdom, that claimed 20 assassinations mainly of terrorists were carried out by India’s external spy agency R&AW since 2020.
“If he [terrorist] flees to Pakistan, we will follow him and take him down on Pakistani soil. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken the truth… India has the capability and Pakistan has also started understanding that,” Singh told a news channel in an interview aired on Friday.
India’s character
The Defence Minister also remarked, “India wants to maintain cordial relations with its neighbour. Look at our history. We have never attacked any country or even occupied an inch of territory of any other country. This is India’s character.” But, “if someone tries intimidating India by fomenting terror on our soil, they will not be spared.”
A day before, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a political rally in Bihar also said “ghar me ghus ke marenge” which was a warning to Pakistan that India will not deter entering into houses of terrorists to target them, if they indulge in any adventurism in India.
Malicious propaganda
The Ministry of External Affairs, meanwhile, on Friday denied claims made by The Guardian newspaper, describing them as “false and malicious anti-India propaganda”. The MEA referred to a previous denial issued by its minister S Jaishankar who had clarified that targeted killings in foreign soil were “not the government of India’s policy”.
India, however, is probing involvement of intelligence agents in an attempt to murder designated Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the US, which has strained relations between the two countries. Besides, Canada has also levelled similar charges against India.
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