'Mossad-like Targeted Killings' in Pakistan: Potential Impact on BJP Prospects in Lok Sabha Polls

Mossad-like Targeted Killings in Pakistan. [Credit: Times of India]

Mossad-like Targeted Killings in Pakistan: Indian involvement in Pakistan killings, as reported by the Guardian, has significant implications for the geopolitical landscape in South Asia.

In the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP may succeed in rallying the electorate around its security-first agenda by emphasizing the measures taken by the Modi government against terrorism.

According to The Guardian, the Indian government is accused of assassinating Pakistani citizens in order to eliminate terrorists living abroad.

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According to Indian and Pakistani intelligence officials and documents provided by Pakistani investigators, India's national security approach is changing post-2019.

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The Ministry of External Affairs claims that India carried out targeted assassinations in Pakistan.

According to Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, the government opposes targeted killings abroad.

India's move was part of a wider effort to eliminate terrorists, according to Indian and Pakistani intelligence officials.

People raised slogans of 'Pakistan Zindabad' in Vidhan Soudha after Congress won the recent elections... Is this the objective of Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'? Why hasn't Mallikarjun Kharge condemned it?

Congress has a tolerant attitude towards terrorism. There has been a… pic.twitter.com/uOxwwqkiVz

— BJP (@BJP4India) March 5, 2024

Assassination plots were allegedly carried out by people working with RAW-recruited accomplices, many of them Pakistanis, in Dubai, who recruited local actors, many of them jihadists.

There have been nearly 20 assassinations in Pakistan since 2020, some allegedly connected to India's Research & Analysis Wing (Raw).

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The Modi government's assertive and unyielding approach to terrorism is captured in Rajnath Singh's nuanced comments on the allegations.

During an interview with News 18, Rajnath Singh responded, "Are you referring to terrorists? Any individual who attempts to disrupt India's peace or incite unrest will face severe consequences. If necessary, we will pursue them into Pakistan."

"Terrorists will not give up," Prime Minister Modi said at an election rally in Uttarakhand today. "BJP government at the Centre is killing terrorists in their own territories," he said.

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BJP's hardline stance on Pakistan - a stance that resonates with a significant segment of the Indian electorate - could paradoxically bolster BJP just before the Lok Sabha elections, according to Foreign Policy's Michael Kugelman.

BJP's foreign policy rhetoric has focused on taking action against terrorism, especially acts sponsored or harbored by Pakistan.

According to the Foreign Policy analysis, Modi's decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special autonomy in 2019, combined with his refusal to engage with Islamabad without concrete measures against terrorism, indicates a broader strategy toward Pakistan of hardline posturing.

The BJP's strategy appeals not only to its base but also to a broader electorate.

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