At the outset of this year, Pakistan leveled accusations against Ashok Kumar Anand, branding him a RAW agent allegedly involved in the assassinations of two prominent Pakistani figures. Now, Anand has emerged from obscurity to vehemently disprove these allegations.
Earlier this year, tensions between India and Pakistan reignited as Islamabad pointed fingers at the Indian intelligence agency RAW (Research and Analysis Wing), accusing it of orchestrating the assassinations of two high-profile Pakistani figures.
Among those accused was Ashok Kumar Anand, who has recently stepped forward to give an exclusive interview to India Today TV, adamantly refuting the claims made against him.
Residing in Dubai presently, Anand, a businessman by profession, categorically denied any association with Indian intelligence. He maintained his innocence, asserting that he was in Dubai conducting business affairs when news of the accusations surfaced.
"I was completely unaware of these allegations," Anand conveyed to India Today TV. "I was at my office in Dubai when I started receiving calls from friends and relatives in India, informing me about my name being broadcasted on TV. I assured them that I had no knowledge of the situation and that the allegations were baseless."
Anand acknowledged that the photo and passport circulated by Pakistani media indeed belonged to him but stressed that he was solely a businessman with no links to RAW.
"These allegations are utterly false and regrettable. I am a straightforward businessman, but now I am receiving threatening calls," he disclosed.
Anand expressed his distress over the Pakistani government's efforts to tarnish his reputation by publicizing his personal information, which has left him feeling vulnerable and anxious about his safety.
"Fearing for my safety, I returned from Dubai, and now I am awaiting the unfolding of events. Some of my acquaintances have cautioned me that I might be followed by the ISI [Pakistani intelligence agency] and could potentially face trouble," he remarked.
PAKISTAN'S ALLEGATIONS
In January 2024, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi convened a press conference in Islamabad, where he accused India of orchestrating a campaign of "extra-territorial and extra-judicial killings."
Qazi singled out Ashok Kumar Anand and Yogesh Kumar as the alleged perpetrators behind the assassinations of Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Riaz Ahmed, also known as Abu Qasim, and the mastermind of the Pathankot attack, Shahid Latif. Although he claimed to possess "credible evidence" linking them to the murders, he did not provide specific details.
INDIA'S FIRM REBUTTAL
Unsurprisingly, India vehemently rebuffed Pakistan's allegations. The Ministry of External Affairs denounced the accusations as "propaganda peddling false and malicious anti-India narratives."
India reciprocated by pointing fingers at Pakistan, branding it a "hub of terrorism" and insinuating that Pakistan was trying to shift blame for its own internal issues.
