ISLAMABAD: Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi on Thursday unveiled the Indian links inside Pakistan and details about the malicious campaign of “extra-territorial and extra-judicial killings” inside Pakistan particularly the assassination of two Pakistanis in recent past.
While providing details in a press briefing, the foreign secretary said that the government had credible evidence and information about links between Indian agents and the assassination of two Pakistanis on Pakistani soil. He further said that these killings were for “higher cases” and involved a “sophisticated international set-up spread over multiple jurisdictions”.
He revealed that Pakistan’s security officials managed to unveiled that Indian agents Ashok Kumar and Yogesh Kumar were directly involved in the killing of two Pakistanis Shahid Latif and Muhammad Riaz. He apprised that the Indian agents used technology and safe havens on foreign soil to commit such crimes and assassinations inside Pakistan while recruiting, financing and supporting criminals, terrorists and unsuspecting civilians for implementing their plans.
Qazi further stated that, Indian media and social media also glorified these killings as “successful vengeance against enemies of India and projected their capacity to justify these illegal activities.
The diplomate informed that for conducting the crime, the agents recruited assassins while using social media, talent spotters and fake Daesh accounts along with the exit.
Assassination of Two Pakistanis
Taking about the specific details, Qazi informed that as per detailed investigations, Pakistani citizen Shahid Latif was assassinated outside a mosque in Sialkot, on October 11, 2023 whereas Indian agent, Yogesh Kumar, based in a third country was involved in the killing who also orchestrated the assassination.
Meanwhile Kumar recruited Muhammad Umair, a labourer in the third country, who was in contact with local criminals in Pakistan to trace and assassinate Shahid Latif, he said. Later they took help of the local criminals and located Shahid Latif, however, they were unable to carry out the execution, Qazi added.
“After some of the failed attempts, Muhammad Umair was personally sent to Pakistan to carry out the assassination,” Qazi said adding that Umair planned a team of five target killers and succeeded in killing Shahid Latif.
The foreign Secretary informed that, on account of detailed investigations, confessional statements and technical evidence, the law enforcement authorities promptly apprehended the target killers, including Muhammad Umair, who were trying to flee the country on Oct 12, 2023.
Talking about the second assassination, Qazi apprised that another Indian agent Ashok Kumar was involved in the killing of a Pakistan man, Muhammad Riaz, who was “assassinated during Fajr prayers inside a mosque in Rawalkot (Kashmir) on September 8, 2023”.
Accordingly, security agencies traced and then arrested the killer, Muhammad Abdullah Ali, on September 15, 2023, before he was boarding a flight at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi,” the diplomate said.
He further informed that the Indian agents used the social media platform Telegram to recruit Ali, adding that Ali received payments and was provided with weapons and ammunition adding that both the cases were being tried in the court of law.
