In an unprecedented address at the United Nations General Assembly, Pakistan’s Permanent Ambassador to the UN, Munir Akram, accused the “New Bharat” of engaging in extrajudicial assassinations both within Pakistan and internationally.
Referencing a report from a prominent US newspaper, Akram stated, “The new Bharat comes into your home and kills you.” On May 2, during his address to the General Assembly, he highlighted that Pakistan’s Foreign Minister had previously informed the Security Council, the UN Secretary-General, and the President of the General Assembly about Bharat’s alleged campaign of targeted assassinations in Pakistan. Akram accused Bharat of extending these extraterritorial actions to political opponents in Canada and attempts in the United States, among other countries.
Quoting from The Washington Post, Akram said, “Prime Minister Modi last week told his cheering supporters, ‘Today, even Bharat’s enemies know this is Modi. This is the new Bharat. This new Bharat comes into your home and kills you.’ This new Bharat is a dangerous entity; it is a net provider of insecurity, not security.”
The allegations against Bharat were further supported by a report from The Guardian, which claimed that the Indian Government had carried out assassinations of individuals deep within Pakistan as part of a broader strategy to eliminate terrorists residing on foreign soil.
According to intelligence sources cited by The Guardian, targeted assassinations significantly increased in 2023, involving the deaths of approximately 15 individuals, most of whom were reportedly shot at close range by unidentified gunmen.
These concerns have been echoed by Western countries. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian agents of orchestrating the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan leader designated as a terrorist by Bharat’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), in 2020.
Nijjar was shot and killed outside a Gurdwara in Surrey in June of the previous year. A video allegedly showing Nijjar’s killing, which surfaced in March of this year, depicted him being shot by armed men in what was purported to be a contract killing.
Bharat has categorically denied these allegations, labelling them as “absurd” and “motivated.” The Indian Government has maintained that it does not engage in such activities and has dismissed the claims as baseless.
These serious accusations have heightened tensions between Pakistan and Bharat, casting a spotlight on the issue of State-sponsored extraterritorial actions and their implications for international security.
