Daily Times

Since the rise of BJP government, India has embarked on a markedly more aggressive and assertive foreign policy, particularly in relation to its security concerns in the region. India has increasingly targeted vocal critiques of Indian government abroad, employing its intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), in operations that extend deep into neighboring countries and even other continents.

Recent reports indicate that these actions have included a series of targeted killings, reflecting a shift in how India addresses threats posed by separatist movements and individuals perceived as adversaries. The implications of these activities resonate internationally, straining India’s diplomatic relations, especially with countries like Canada and Australia, where large Sikh diaspora communities advocate for self-determination in Punjab. This article explores the complexities and consequences of India’s expanding extraterritorial operations, highlighting the broader geopolitical tensions and the evolving narrative surrounding national security in South Asia and beyond.

In 2019, the Indian government revoked constitutional provisions granting Kashmir special autonomy, imposed governor control and draconian restrictions, and deployed nearly a million troops to quell the uprising. Aside from that, India took a more direct and proactive approach, targeting major voices for Kashmiri and Sikh rights deep within Pakistani territory via Indian secret services. The Indian government killed individuals in Pakistan as part of a larger operation to erase its perceived threats living on foreign country, according to Indian and Pakistani intelligence officials who spoke with The Guardian.

India’s escalating extraterritorial activities, particularly under the auspices of the BJP’s Hindutva policies, raise profound ethical and geopolitical concerns.

In interviews with The Guardian, intelligence officials from both countries, as well as documents shared by Pakistani investigators, shed new light on how India’s foreign intelligence agency allegedly began to carry out assassinations abroad following 2019 as part of a more assertive approach to national security. The Research & Analysis Wing (Raw) agency is directly controlled by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The fresh charges relate to 20 killings in Pakistan conducted by unknown shooters since 2020. While India had previously been unofficially linked to the deaths, this is the first time Indian intelligence personnel have spoken with a foreign media outlet about their operations in Pakistan, and comprehensive documentation has been collected claiming Raw’s direct involvement in the assassinations. The allegations also indicate that Sikh separatists participating in the Khalistan movement were targeted as part of India’s larger international operations in Pakistan and the West.

The Guardian report appears to back up suspicions that Delhi has created a policy of targeting those it considers hostile to India. Washington and Ottawa have officially accused India of complicity in the murders of dissident individuals, including a Sikh activist in Canada, as well as a failed assassination attempt on another Sikh in the United States last year. Sikh activists affiliated with the Khalistan movement, which seeks independence for the Indian state of Punjab, largely Sikh region, poses a serious domestic and international threat to the state of India.

In April 2024, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of arranging Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s assassination, resulting in hostile back-and-forth denunciations between the two countries. Canadian officials say three Indian nationals were detained and charged with the murder of a Sikh leader in British Columbia in June 2023. The case deepened the breach between Canada and India, resulting in a political clash between the two already suspicious governments. Last month, tensions between the two governments reached a new high when the Canadian government expelled the Indian ambassador and demanded justice against the perpetrators of the crime on Canadian soil.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was born in the northern Indian state of Punjab. According to Indian press sources, he traveled to Canada in the mid-1990s after several failed attempts to enter the country, just as India cracked down on a Sikh separatist movement. According to the New York Times, Mr Nijjar was a self-proclaimed “Sikh nationalist who believed in Sikhs’ right to self-determination and independence of Indian-administered Punjab through a future referendum,” as expressed in an open letter to the Canadian government sent in 2016.

Adding to the list of such incidents, former Australian government officials disclosed that the Australian secret service dismantled a nest of Indian spies attempting to acquire classified material and monitor Diaspora populations. It is vital to note that Australia is home to thousands of Sikhs, many of whom are prominent supporters of the Khalistan movement.

All aforementioned events, when zoomed out, appear to be linked and indicate that India has decided to embark upon a journey of more aggressive and assertive foreign policy. India’s escalating extraterritorial activities, particularly under the auspices of the BJP’s Hindutva policies, raise profound ethical and geopolitical concerns. The government’s shift towards targeted assassinations and aggressive interventions abroad reflects a troubling trend that prioritizes nationalistic fervor over diplomatic engagement and international norms.

By linking foreign operations to domestic agendas, the BJP fosters an environment where dissent is increasingly silenced, both at home and abroad. The abrogation of Kashmir’s special status exemplifies this internal repression, which is mirrored in India’s treatment of Sikh activists advocating for Khalistan. These policies not only threaten the stability of regional relations but also tarnish India’s global reputation, alienating allies and complicating international partnerships. The violent repercussions of such extraterritorial actions further exacerbate tensions with countries like Canada and Australia, where diasporic communities are seen as direct threats rather than partners for dialogue.

Ultimately, the intertwining of aggressive foreign policies with Hindutva ideology not only undermines India’s democratic values but also raises serious questions about the future of its international standing. As India navigates this precarious path, it risks further isolation and conflict, challenging the very principles of sovereignty and human rights that it seeks to uphold on the world stage.

The writer is a research fellow at Epis Think-tank Germany and an intern at Kashmir institute of International relations. His fields of studies include Foreign Policy, Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution. He can be reached at Ali7664556@gmail.com