Several terrorists, who have instigated attacks against India, have been killed by unidentified assailants on foreign soil. Recently, the killings of Khalistani terrorists Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Sukhdool Singh aka Sukha Duneke in Canada have made headlines amid strained relations between New Delhi and Ottawa.
Nijjar, who was shot dead by unknown assailants in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, has become the centre of a major diplomatic standoff between India and Canada after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged the role of the Indian government behind his death.
It recently also came to light that Nijjar was involved in orchestrating many attacks against India and even went to Pakistan in 2012 to receive special training from another pro-Khalistani terrorist Jagtar Singh Tara, who was convicted for the assassination of former Punjab CM Beant Singh.
Here's the list of terrorists who have been killed on foreign soil since last year:
- Zahoor Mistry, one of the hijackers of Kathmandu-bound Indian Airlines Flight 814 in 1999, was shot dead in Karachi last year. The plane was hijacked to secure the release of three Islamist terrorists in India.
- Ripudaman Singh Malik was a Canada-based terrorist who was accused and acquitted in the bombing of Air India Flight 182 that killed more than 300 people. He was shot dead in Canada in July 2022.
- Laal Mohammad was an agent of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and supplier of counterfeit notes in India, was shot dead in September 2022.
- Harvinder Singh Sandhu, a gangster-turned-terrorist who launched an rocket attack on the intelligence headquarters of Punjab Police in 2021, died of a drug overdose in Lahore in November 2022.
- Bashir Ahmad Peer was associated with Hizbul Mujahideen and was one of India's most wanted terrorists. He was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Rawalpindi in February this year.
- Syed Khalid Raza was the commander of Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Al-Badr. He was shot dead in Rawalpindi in February 2023.
- Ejaz Ahmad Ahangar, an important commander of Islamic State (ISIS) was founded dead in Afghanistan in February. He is believed to have been killed by Taliban forces.
- Syed Noor Shalobar, a commander of Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) was shot dead in a shootout in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in early March.
- Paramjit Singh Panjwar, head of the terrorist organisation Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Lahore on May 6.
- Avtar Singh Khanda, a pro-Khalistani leader residing in the United Kingdom, died of suspected poisoning on June 15 in Birmingham. Khanda reportedly planned an attack on the Indian High Commission in London.
- Hardeep Singh Nijjar, shot dead in Canada's British Columbia on June 18. Trudeau alleged the role of "Indian agents" behind his death, causing a major diplomatic row.
- Sardar Hussain Arain, a leading member of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Lashkar-e-Taiba, was attacked in Nawabshah area of Pakistan's Sindh province. He succumbed to his injuries on August 5.
- Abu Qasim Kashmiri aka Riaz, a high-ranking LeT terrorist, was shot dead by an unknown person inside a mosque in Rawalakot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in September 2023.
- Sukhdool Singh aka Sukha Duneke was a Canada-based Khalistani terrorist who was shot dead in Winnipeg on September 20. Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi claimed responsibility for his death.
- Maulana Ziaur Rahman, a well-known operative of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Karachi earlier this month.
- Mufti Qaiser Farooq, a prominent LeT leader and an aide of wanted terrorist Hafeez Saeed, was gunned down in Karachi on September 30 near a religious institution.
The spade of unexplained killings of some of these terrorists have rattled Pakistan's security and intelligence agencies.
Nijjar's activities against India
Sources revealed that years after Nijjar escaped to Canada, he assumed the role of 'Operation Chief' of banned terror organisation Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF). He visited Tara under the guise of a Baisakhi Jatha member and the latter supplied him with weapons and trained him in assembling improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in 2012 and 2013.
Tara, who later became KTF chief in 2013, also sent the US-based terrorist Harjot Singh Birring to Canada to train Nijjar in operating hand-held GPS devices. Nijjar had provided 1 milion Pakistani rupees to Tara. Additionally, Nijjar also served as the head of outlawed Sikhs for Justice's (SFJ) Canada chapter and orchestrated violent anti-India protests in Canada while also threatening Indian diplomats.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had registered several cases against Nijjar and also issued an Interpol Red Corner Notice for raising a module in Canada involving Khalistani separatist Mandeep Singh Dhaliwal, sources said. However, no action was taken by the Canadian side, as per reports.
Indian intelligence agencies have also dug out several stunning revelations that accentuated how Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has been orchestrating anti-India activities in Canada and other countries.
The sources claimed that ISI, with the help of the Khalistani group in Canada, has been operating multiple drug nexus in Punjab-- which is considered the main source of funding for orchestrating anti-India activities on foreign soil.
Ever since India abrogated Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir which provides special status to the valley, it has been observed that Pakistan's intelligence agency has shifted its focus from Kashmir to foreign lands. However, the agenda remains the same-- to destabilise India.
(with agency inputs)
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