Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday that the government won't spare terrorists attempting to disrupt the country's peace and that they would be eliminated even if they run back to Pakistan.

Singh's remarks, delivered in an interview in Hindi, followed a recent report by British newspaper The Guardian. The report alleged that Indian intelligence agencies had conducted targeted killings in Pakistan, claiming the lives of approximately 20 people since 2020.

"If any terrorist tries to disturb the country's peace, we will give a befitting reply. If they (terrorists) run back to Pakistan, we will go there and kill them," the Defence Minister told CNN-News18.

"Whatever the Prime Minister has said is absolutely true. India is that powerful and Pakistan is also starting to understand that," he added.

The Defence Minister also said that New Delhi intends to maintain good relations with all its neighbours. "India has never attacked any country or tried to capture their territory. But if anyone threatens India or its peace, they will not be spared," Singh added.

Shortly after Rajnath Singh’s statement, The Guardian published an article titled “India Appears to Confirm Extrajudicial Killings in Pakistan,” stating that 'India's defence minister seemed to confirm that the government carried out extrajudicial killings in neighbouring Pakistan.'

The article added, “India has previously denied all involvement in the assassinations. But after the publication of the Guardian’s report, Rajnath Singh, the Indian defence minister, seemed to confirm that India did target terrorists hiding out in Pakistan.” 

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The Ministry of External Affairs earlier responded to The Guardian's report, calling the allegations 'false and malicious anti-India propaganda'.

Tensions between the countries escalated following the 2019 suicide bombing of a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama, which was traced back to Pakistan-based terrorists, leading India to carry out an airstrike on a terrorist base in Pakistan.