New Delhi, Aug 15 (SocialNews.XYZ) Indian security agencies are on high alert following intelligence reports indicating that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is allegedly orchestrating demographic changes and radicalisation activities in areas of Nepal bordering India.

The Indian agencies are closely monitoring developments in Nepal, where a communal clash reported in July has raised concerns that the incident may be part of a wider pattern. Officials believe the situation warrants closer scrutiny because of the potential implications for India’s security, particularly along the open border.

An Intelligence Bureau official said Nepal has long been used by Pakistan’s spy agency as a transit route for moving terrorists into India. The emerging concern, the official said, is a sustained campaign that could alter Nepal’s demographic and communal landscape.

“Demographic change is occurring at a rapid pace in Nepal, and this is worrisome as incidents of communal violence are bound to go up. Several Hindu organisations in Nepal have protested several times and have demanded from the government that the rapid pace at which religious conversions are taking place must be halted,” the official claimed.

Another official said the Terai region, which borders India, has witnessed repeated incidents of communal violence.

“There have been multiple clashes between the Hindu and Muslim communities in this region in the last one year. The agencies fear that this could spill over into India and the situation could soon turn fragile,” the official said.

The frequency of such incidents in the Terai region is a major concern for Indian agencies, the official said, adding that such a pattern was not seen earlier. The official alleged that the ISI had invested substantial resources in radicalisation programmes in the region.

The officials also claimed that the Terai has witnessed a rise in what they described as Wahhabi-related activity. They said there had been a sudden mushrooming of madrasas associated with such activity, which they believe has contributed to radicalisation.

In Nepalgunj, a guest house was built to accommodate members of Dawat-e-Islami (DeI), according to officials. The organisation originated in Pakistan and is an Islamic missionary organisation. Officials alleged that it has been critical of Hinduism and encouraged people to reject the religion.

Another official said these developments had contributed to the emergence of several Islamist organisations in Nepal.

“The end result has been large-scale radicalisation and demographic changes,” the official pointed out.

According to the officials, the ISI has previously used demographic and communal fault lines to divide societies and trigger communal tensions. The Terai’s proximity to India has heightened concern among Indian agencies.

The officials compared the alleged demographic change exercise in Nepal with developments they have previously flagged in West Bengal and parts of the Northeast. They alleged that ISI-backed elements had facilitated the movement of illegal immigrants into these regions in large numbers, creating demographic pressures and contributing to communal tensions.

The officials said the concerns for India extend beyond demographic changes and violence. The immediate challenge is a spillover across the open border.

Nepalgunj and adjoining parts of the Terai lie close to the Uttar Pradesh border, including areas near Bahraich district. Bahraich has been identified as communally sensitive, and violent clashes were reported there in 2024 during a Durga idol immersion procession. The violence involved arson and led to the invocation of the National Security Act (NSA).

The officials say the ISI’s objective is to ensure that demographic changes and communal tensions in Nepal spill over into India. Indian agencies are also concerned that repeated communal disturbances could put additional pressure on the security apparatus.

The officials fear that the ISI could exploit such instability to facilitate the movement of terrorists across the Nepal border, who could then be directed towards Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country.

Source: IANS

The post ISI fueling demographic shift and radicalisation in Nepal; India on high alert appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 15 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) tracked down and extradited four high-profile international drug kingpins under its 'Operation Global Hunt', executing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directive to build a drug-free India, senior officials said.

The Centre’s diplomatic outreach has persuaded international partners regarding the security risks of harbouring transnational syndicate heads.

The extradited kingpins include Virender Singh Basoya, suspected mastermind of a Rs 13,000-crore international drug cartel brought back from the UAE, and Salim Dola, a key operative linked to Dawood Ibrahim who was arrested in Malaysia and deported via Turkiye. The Indian agencies also secured the extradition of Prabhdeep Singh from Azerbaijan and cross-border logistics supplier Ritik Bajaj from the UAE.

The Modi government adopted a tougher approach towards narcotics networks, with enforcement agencies increasingly focusing on the masterminds who operate drug cartels from abroad.

Since the government announced its objective of making India drug-free, the NCB, which is spearheading the campaign, has intensified its crackdown on local suppliers, middlemen, distributors and dealers. However, officials say dismantling the narcotics trade requires agencies to go beyond the domestic network and identify the kingpins controlling the operations from foreign countries.

According to officials, the NCB’s latest strategy has begun to yield results, with a growing number of suspected drug lords based overseas being traced and extradited to India. Recent examples include Salim Dola, Virender Singh Basoya, Prabhdeep Singh and Ritik Bajaj. Their extraditions were facilitated under Operation Global Hunt launched by the NCB.

Officials said a key factor behind these successes has been the agency’s “top-to-bottom” and “bottom-to-top” approach. “The strategy enables investigators to simultaneously target cartel leaders abroad and trace the domestic networks operating under them,” the officials said.

Under the top-to-bottom approach, the NCB seeks to identify the masterminds controlling drug operations from foreign locations. Investigators use intelligence inputs, international cooperation and Interpol channels to locate these individuals and build cases against them.

“The bottom-to-top approach starts at the operational level within India. Local intelligence is used to identify suppliers, middlemen, dealers and logistics operators. Their arrests and subsequent investigations provide investigators with access to digital footprints, financial transactions and communication trails. These leads can then be followed upwards to identify mid-level handlers, distributors, entry-point managers and, eventually, the cartel bosses,” the officials said.

This process has proved useful in connecting seemingly independent arrests and seizures to larger international narcotics networks, they added. “Tracing the chain upwards is one part of the challenge. The real success is when these persons are extradited to India,” an official said.

Basoya, who is suspected of being a mastermind behind a Rs 13,000-crore international drug cartel, was extradited from the UAE. Prabhdeep Singh was extradited from Azerbaijan, while Bajaj, described as a cross-border logistics supplier, was brought back from the UAE.

Dola, considered a major player in the international narcotics network and a close aide of fugitive underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested in Malaysia and extradited to India through Turkiye.

Officials said cooperation from foreign governments has also improved as India has intensified its campaign against narcotics networks. They attributed this to sustained diplomatic engagement, stronger intelligence sharing and the preparation of detailed cases against suspected cartel operators.

The NCB has also worked to ensure that extradition requests are backed by substantial evidence, including financial records, digital evidence and details of the accused persons’ alleged roles in organised drug trafficking.

“This helps in easing the extradition process. Further, India has also managed to convince the international community about the ill-effects of holding such people in their respective countries,” an official said.

According to officials, the success of recent investigations lies in treating the narcotics trade as a connected chain. Local dealers, logistics suppliers, middlemen and international kingpins cannot be investigated in isolation. The twin top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top strategy allows the NCB to follow the network in both directions, with the larger objective of dismantling the cartel itself.

Source: IANS

The post NCB’s twin strategy helps India hunt down foreign-based drug kingpins appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 14 (SocialNews.XYZ) Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), a regional affiliate of Al-Qaeda, transitioned from a fragmented entity into a structured regional network, leveraging online propaganda and proxy outfits to expand its reach across India and neighboring countries, according to a recent United Nations Security Council (UNSC) report.

The AQIS was formed in 2014 with the primary objective of establishing a strong base, with its major focus on India. However, the outfit failed to expand its operations as initially intended and has not carried out a major strike since its inception.

The latest report by the UNSC, however, states that AQIS has evolved from a fragmented and weakened outfit into a more structured regional terrorist network.

Indian intelligence officials say the strategy of lying low has worked in AQIS's favour.

“The terror outfit remained off the radar for several years, while the focus of major agencies was on groups such as the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. The ISKP, which is a rival of AQIS, has, however, stepped up its operations. Pakistan’s engagement with the group to counter the Taliban and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has also breathed new life into the outfit,” the officials said.

AQIS, meanwhile, focused heavily on its online activities. While its ground-level operations failed to take off, its online propaganda continued uninterrupted. The outfit created proxies such as the Base Movement in South India, Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH) and Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen (IuM).

The activities of these groups also remained low-key, with their focus restricted to specific targets and issues. For instance, the Base Movement targeted politicians, judges and police personnel whom they termed as anti-Islam.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that while the strategy of lying low and staying off the radar worked for the AQIS, tensions in Afghanistan also helped.

Pakistan’s repeated confrontations with the Taliban in Afghanistan benefited AQIS considerably. The focus was completely on the Taliban, TTP and ISKP, and the AQIS used this to its advantage and kept its focus on creating umbrella structures and proxies. It never gave up on its online propaganda and ensured that the name of the outfit was always in the narrative.

Officials say that the AQIS would create more proxies across the country. It would look to have region-specific outfits which could do its job in India.

An example of this is the Base Movement and AGuH.

The AGuH was linked to the car bomb blast near the Red Fort in Delhi in November last year. Investigations show that the Faridabad module that executed this blast was heavily radicalised by the ideology of the AGuH, which in reality is the AQIS.

A similar pattern was found in the case of the Base Movement. Multiple investigations indicated that although the outfit operated under the name Base Movement in South India, its ideology was rooted in AQIS.

Another official said that with the Base Movement and AGuH covering the southern and northern states, the focus would now shift to the eastern and northeastern parts of the country.

The official said the northeastern states would be high on the outfit’s priority list.

In this context, one must look at the developments in Bangladesh. The AQIS is a key player in Bangladesh and has many groups affiliated to it. The Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) are affiliates of the AQIS there.

The recent UNSC report states that the AQIS was looking to exploit Bangladesh to set up its operational cells. “There was some concern about AQIS trying to exploit Bangladesh unrest to establish cells there,” the report stated.

The operations in Bangladesh by the AQIS would have a direct bearing on the northeastern states, officials say.

Outfits such as the HuJI-B and ABT have for long trained their guns on these states and West Bengal.

The AQIS, in a bid to expand its operational capabilities in these states, would largely rely on groups such as the HuJI-B and ABT, an official added.

Source: IANS

The post AQIS quietly expands terror network, eyes India’s Northeast appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 14 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Indian Railways has become the primary target for the Inter Services Intelligence-backed elements in recent months, according to an intelligence report.

While the railways has long been a favourite target of terrorists, recent developments suggest a more sinister game plan. The terror plots that have been foiled and the intelligence inputs gathered by security agencies point towards a concerted attempt to target the railway network.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the ISI has focused its espionage activities largely on the military and railways.

Most of the spies reportedly deployed for the India operations have specific briefs to gather as much information as possible on both the Indian Army and railways.

Indian security agencies have now noticed a significant change in the pattern. The information being sought by these elements about the railway network is currently greater than that concerning military installations. In the case of the armed forces, the ISI appears to be pursuing a long-term strategy. It is seeking to gather as much information as possible, rather than with an immediate intention of targeting military establishments.

This is a more tactical exercise, aimed at ensuring that the Pakistani Army maintains an informational advantage over the Indian armed forces.

The information being gathered relates to logistics and movement of the troops. However, when it comes to the railways, the primary intention is to carry out terror attacks. The Pakistani spy agency knows that the railways is the lifeline of India and disrupting this sector means spreading widespread panic and fear in the minds of the people.

An official said that there is a mixed strategy with regard to the railways.

“While in many cases, the idea is to gather information so that a strike can be carried out, the ISI is also attempting to play mind games. It is not necessary that the ISI-backed terrorists need to strike this sector all the time. Even a hoax alarm when it comes to the Indian railways is sufficient to create panic in the minds of the people,” the official said.

Another official said that some individuals have been recruited specifically to make hoax calls.

“If a hoax call or false information is circulated at a crowded railway station, it could trigger panic and eventually lead to a major stampede, resulting in loss of several lives,” the official added.

Officials said the ISI has not limited its directives to Islamist outfits to target railway stations. It has also instructed cadres of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) to carry out similar attacks, indicating a broader effort to exploit multiple terror networks for targeting the railway infrastructure.

While the brief for the BKI is to strike at railway stations in Punjab and Haryana, in the case of the rest of the outfits the focus is on Delhi, Mumbai and other major cities. The ISI has allegedly been working on its railways plan for the last year.

In fact, surveillance of the railway sector has increased ten-fold over the past year. The Pakistani spy agency has stepped up recruitment as part of its efforts to target railway infrastructure. In the first phase of the operation, the recruits moved around railway stations, photographed key areas, assessed security arrangements and passed the information to their handlers.

Investigations have revealed that some of these recruits were willing to carry out the assignments for as little as Rs 3,000. The ISI later escalated its surveillance efforts by instructing recruits to install solar-powered closed-circuit television cameras at railway stations. These cameras enabled them to obtain live feeds of activity at the stations. Recent investigations have shown that recruits involved in installing the cameras were paid between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 for each camera.

Meanwhile, the Intelligence Bureau has issued a high alert and said that the ISI-backed modules would try to target railway infrastructure in Delhi and the surrounding areas. Security is already tight ahead of India’s Independence Day owing to the multiple threat assessments by the agencies.

The terror groups would look to carry out a major hit on railway infrastructure during this period as the security mechanism would be more focused on guarding the Independence Day events in Delhi, the officials say.

Source: IANS

The post ISI shifts target to Indian Railways to spread mass panic ahead of I-Day appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 13 (SocialNews.XYZ) Pakistan’s military establishment and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) are actively fostering a tactical alliance between Hamas and Pakistan-based terror outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, intelligence sources and a new security report revealed.

Indian security agencies have repeatedly flagged the emerging links between Hamas and Pakistan-based terror groups in recent months. With Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) already posing a major threat to India, the reported involvement of Hamas has raised fresh concerns.

Indian security officials say that the move to bring Hamas into the picture is part of a well-planned strategy by the Pakistan Army and its intelligence agency, the ISI.

“The growing links between Hamas and outfits such as the Jaish and Lashkar are not aimed solely at carrying out terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir,” the officials warned.

If viewed in the larger context, the objective appears to be to bring the LeT and Jaish up to the operational standards of Hamas. Officials say the Pakistani establishment wants these groups to sustain a prolonged confrontation with the Indian armed forces, drawing lessons from the way Hamas has continued its conflict with Israel.

Usanas Foundation, an Udaipur-based security and foreign policy think tank, in its latest paper titled ‘Hamas-Pakistan Nexus: A Threat to India and Israel,’ says that the arrival of Hamas in Pakistan is mutually beneficial, providing safe havens to Hamas and finances to its fledgling economy, as it faces major reverses in West Asia.

“In return, Pakistani terror groups will leverage the expertise of Hamas in guerrilla warfare and creating infrastructure for tunnel-centric warfare in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK),” the paper states.

The research also states that if the vast tunnel networks are created in PoK, then the Indian army would face jihadists waging guerrilla warfare from these tunnels just like what Israel faces in Gaza. Furthermore, if a war breaks out between India and Pakistan, another Hamas expertise, which is propaganda, will be a challenge for India.

It is widely known that Hamas has successfully run its propaganda campaign on American campuses, the paper notes.

An Intelligence Bureau official said such a strategy would be highly advantageous for the Pakistan Army. It would allow terror groups to remain engaged in a sustained confrontation with the Indian armed forces, while keeping the Pakistani military largely out of direct involvement.

In such a scenario, the Pakistan Army could exert influence and provide support from the background without having to take an active role in the fighting, said the IB official.

“The Pakistan establishment will also have a deniability factor in the case of such a war. None can accuse Pakistan of launching a full-fledged war with India using its army,” the official said.

Another official said that Hamas would always be welcomed in Pakistan, even by the citizens of the country.

Pakistan’s propaganda machinery has sought to draw parallels between Gaza and Kashmir, a narrative that officials say has helped fuel anti-Israel sentiment in the country. This messaging has also contributed to hostility towards the Jewish community. At recent solidarity rallies held in Pakistan over the Gaza conflict, the rhetoric has largely focused on condemning Israel.

In recent months, several high-profile meetings and rallies have been held in Pakistan, with leaders and representatives linked to Hamas, Lashkar and Jaish taking part. Officials say the speeches at these gatherings have largely centred on a narrative of Muslim victimhood, with speakers drawing misleading comparisons between the situation in Gaza and Kashmir.

The experts say that what is more worrisome is that this is not just a nexus between a couple of terror groups. It very much has the blessing of the Pakistani establishment, and the meeting between Pakistan’s envoy to Qatar, Lt. Gen. (R) Muhammad Aamer and Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official at Doha last year is proof of the same.

During the meeting, both emphasised that the struggles in Kashmir and Gaza are the same. The research paper argues that in addition to waging a battle with the Indian army, it is highly likely that the use of drones and gliders can be repeated in Kashmir as well. This was witnessed during the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.

Source: IANS

The post ISI orchestrates Hamas-Lashkar-Jaish axis to replicate Gaza-style tunnel warfare in Kashmir appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 13 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has been restructuring its entire overground worker (OWG) network in Jammu and Kashmir following the setback Pakistan suffered during Operation Sindoor last year.

The operation, launched by the Indian armed forces in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, destroyed terror infrastructure in both Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The setback prompted a major restructuring exercise by Pakistan, which also involved rebuilding the terror infrastructure of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen.

Officials say that the OWG network in Jammu and Kashmir operates very differently today.

The first step taken by the ISI was to dismantle its old guard. It then began recruiting young people, including girls, into its overground worker (OWG) network. Most of those recruited are teenagers, aged between 15 and 16 years. Unlike the new recruits, the old guard had been appointed organisation-wise.

"For instance, Jaish and Lashkar would have independent networks of OWGs, and their work would never overlap," the official explained.

The old guard also had an ideological link to the terror group they were associated with. Moreover, these persons had extensive knowledge of the respective terror groups, including details about their leadership and local handlers, the official said.

For the ISI, it was important to replace the old guard as almost all of them had police records, making it easier for security agencies to identify and track them.

Another aspect about the old guard was that they would be used for multiple assignments. Today’s OWGs who have been recently appointed by the ISI carry out one task and then vanish. This makes detection hard.

An Intelligence Bureau official said the new OWGs are given specific assignments and are primarily tasked with transporting small consignments containing one or two pistols. They are not assigned to carry larger firearms such as AK-47s, the official said.

The official further explained that once an OWG is handed a weapon, he or she is given the location where it has to be delivered. Another OWG would be waiting at the designated spot to receive the weapon and then pass it on to an agent. The agent would then be responsible for delivering it to the person tasked with carrying out the attack.

Another official said that in some cases, a consignment changes hands three times, while in others, it could pass through four or even five different hands apparently to evade security checks.

“This constant changing of hands has posed a big challenge for the security agencies. Keeping track of four to five hands becomes difficult. This strategy also helps the OWGs evade detection as they hardly leave any trail. The fact that they have no files on them and will not be used for another assignment makes tracking even harder,” the official said.

The ISI has ensured that weapons in very small quantities are delivered point to point. The success of such a mission is higher, and chances of them getting caught are much lower, the official also said.

“Pakistan is not aiming for a big hit in the Valley. The very fact that they are choosing pistols over the AK-47 suggests that the aim is to carry out targeted killings and not indulge in a major strike,” the officials said.

The two recent attacks in Kashmir, in which a head constable and two migrants were killed, indicate the ISI’s intentions. While smaller attacks are one part of the plan, it is suspected that the ISI is also focusing on jungle warfare. Several terrorists are believed to be hiding in the dense forests of the Valley, where security operations are challenging because of the difficult terrain and thick vegetation.

Further, tracking terrorists in the jungles is also difficult because they have been using Chinese-made communication devices such as the Ultra Sets. These combine smartphone functionality with military-grade radio tech.

An official said that this allows terrorists to communicate off-grid without having to use local telecom or SIM card networks.

“These devices do not talk to each other directly, but send short encrypted data bursts via radio waves to cross-border relay stations and Chinese military communications, which are linked to master servers in Pakistan,” the official noted.

Source: IANS

The post ISI’s new Kashmir strategy: Teen recruits, pistol drops and jungle warfare appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 12 (SocialNews.XYZ) There has been a complete change in the pattern of operations of terror groups in Pakistan.

While Lashkar-e-Taiba has gradually stepped up its activities, Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammed have largely remained subdued in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. One of the most significant changes observed in the functioning of these groups is that their top leadership is no longer directly calling the shots.

The Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) has put in charge a Brigadier and a Colonel to oversee the operations of all three terror groups, and things move only once the two officers give the go-ahead.

An Intelligence Bureau official said the shift in operational strategy has also changed the way terrorists belonging to these groups carry out their activities.

“There is complete operational synergy following this restructuring of the top command,” the official said.

The intelligence agencies have reported several times that over 500 terrorists are waiting on the other side of the border to infiltrate into India through the LoC.

Earlier, the three terror groups -- Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) -- had separate command centres and operational heads overseeing the infiltration. As per the changed strategy, these aspects are now being looked after by Brigadier Iqbal and Colonel Owaiz.

Earlier, five to six terrorists would attempt to infiltrate together. Now, the ISI has ensured that only three terrorists make an infiltration attempt at a time. The group would comprise one terrorist each from Jaish, Lashkar and Hizbul Mujahideen, rather than operatives from a single terror outfit.

An official said that this has been done to ensure complete operational synergy. “Moreover, the instructions on infiltration are coming from the ISI officials and not from the leaders or handlers of these three terror groups,” the official pointed out.

Dr. Abhinav Pandya, founder of Usanas Foundation, says that most of these terror groups are deliberately lying low as they are recalibrating.

Groups such as the Hizbul Mujahideen have failed to carry out their activities after the abrogation of Article 370. This explains why the ISI wants complete operational synergy and also has decided to take control of the operations of these terror groups.

The ISI also wants a blanket cover over the identity of chiefs of these terror groups, Dr. Pandya explained.

“Pakistan also will be very careful not to be caught anytime there is an act of terror. They will do everything to cover their trails and hence are trying to execute attacks in the hinterland through their proxies,” Dr. Pandya says.

This is because of the change in India’s security doctrine where any act of terror will not be considered as a cross-border strike, but as an act of war against the country.

Officials say that in addition to changing strategy along the LoC, the ISI is also trying to recruit locals in Jammu and Kashmir. The ISI is relying very little on its scholars in Jammu and Kashmir to reach out to the youth. It has been using its scholars in Afghanistan and also in Africa to reach out to the youth and radicalise them.

Once the recruitment is complete, these youth would be trained to undertake lone wolf attacks. They would also impart training on the preparation of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) using local material and then be asked to carry out strikes.

Another official explained that this strategy lets Pakistan cover its tracks, and in the event of an attack, India would not be able to blame Islamabad for it.

The intention is to keep radio silence, while trying to focus on building an image internationally. Any attack that leads back to Pakistan would earn the wrath of the Indian armed forces while also ruining Pakistan’s international image, which it has been building with the help of paid pressure groups and think-tanks, officials note.

Source: IANS

The post ISI takes direct control of Lashkar, Jaish, Hizbul operations after Operation Sindoor appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 12 (SocialNews.XYZ) Indian intelligence agencies have warned of a possible major provocation by Pakistan aimed at diverting attention from the mounting internal challenges confronting Islamabad.

With protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) continuing and unrest in Balochistan intensifying, Islamabad is reportedly weighing a major operation against India as a diversionary tactic to shift focus away from its domestic troubles.

An Intelligence Bureau official said India must remain on high alert as Pakistan could be planning a major provocation. “The level of desperation is so high that neither Islamabad nor India should rule out the possibility of a provocation along the Line of Control (LoC),” the IB official said.

Pakistan could attempt a misadventure along the Line of Control (LoC) while simultaneously stepping up its operations in Jammu and Kashmir. The two recent back-to-back attacks in the region are being viewed as a sign that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is seeking to revive terror activities in the Valley.

Recently, Pakistan had deployed around 250 Chinese-made SH-15 155mm truck-mounted self-propelled howitzers across several sectors facing the Indian border. They included the locations near Sialkot, Gujranwala and Jalalpur Jatan. The mobile truck-mounted configuration enables rapid shoot-and-scoot operations with a range of around 30-40 km.

India has been closely watching these developments, and the Ministry of External Affairs stated that security agencies remained fully prepared to safeguard national security and counter any potential misadventure.

An official said Pakistan is in urgent need of a diversion as growing questions are being raised within the country over alleged atrocities against people in PoK and Balochistan. The mounting unrest in both regions has added to the pressure on Islamabad, prompting concerns that it could seek to shift public attention through external tensions.

“Moreover, a quick diversion is also needed before the international community starts raising their voices on these issues,” the official also said.

Another official said Islamabad may also be seeking a diversionary move to provide a face-saving opportunity for Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid growing internal pressures.

“His role in ordering the atrocities and telling his forces and the government to not give into the demands of these people has come under question. As of now, Munir’s strategy in both regions has failed. Many within the establishment have started questioning his strategy where these regions are concerned,” the official said.

Munir is also under immense pressure over the Imran Khan issue. To top all of that, there was Operation Sindoor in which the Indian armed forces exposed the Pakistani establishment badly, the official added.

Further, the ISI is also trying to activate its existing modules in India. The existing sleeper cells in India are reportedly being called on to execute attacks in various parts of the country. In recent weeks, the agencies have busted multiple modules that were linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammed.

The Pakistani spy agency has also asked its propaganda wing to drum up fake narratives against the Indian state. All these are attention-diverting tactics, an official explained.

Pakistan has faced recurring unrest in PoK and Balochistan in the past. However, the situation this time has escalated significantly, with Islamabad struggling to contain the unrest and no immediate solution appearing to be in sight.

The officials say that this explains the desperation and why a diversion is the need of the hour. India must stay on guard as there is a likely provocation being planned along the LoC. Further, the propaganda campaigns and attempted terror strikes within the country are something that the security agencies should not take lightly, the official said.

Source: IANS

The post Pakistan under pressure at home, India on alert for LoC provocation appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 11 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a fresh development that could trouble Pakistan, protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) are set to go global from August 13.

The Awami Action Committee (AAC) has urged Kashmiris across the world to hold rallies and draw international attention to the force allegedly being used by the Pakistani establishment against the people of PoK.

The AAC has also decided to observe August 14 as a Black Day, coinciding with Pakistan’s Independence Day.

Protests have been continuing for more than two months, with no solution in sight. Protesters have alleged that security forces have killed more than 60 people and injured over 500 others.

Concerns have also grown over reports of forced disappearances in the region.

The AAC has now decided to take the campaign global and has called on Kashmiris living abroad to hold rallies on August 13, while observing August 14 as a Black Day.

Demonstrations are being planned outside Pakistani embassies and diplomatic missions in several countries.

The AAC wants Kashmiris across the globe to voice their opinion and tell the international community about the kind of atrocities that they are facing in the PoK.

An official said that this could well be a turning point for the people of the region. While there has been some buzz in the international community, the issues surrounding the PoK have not got the desired traction.

“If the AAC's call receives a strong response, it could put Pakistan in a difficult position and cause considerable embarrassment to the country's establishment,” the official added.

Another official said that the call being taken seriously and also enforced properly is the need of the hour.

“These atrocities will never stop until the global community starts speaking about it. More importantly, it will also expose Pakistan’s bluff, as since the start of the protests, the establishment has been trying to pass off the protesters as terrorists,” the official said.

Meanwhile, the security forces have decided to step up the heat on the protesters.

The AAC has alleged that there has been military firing and said that the oppression has only increased.

The AAC has also called these incidents state-sponsored terror by the Pakistani establishment.

Experts keeping a watch on these developments say that with no sign of both sides backing down, the situation is only going to get worse in the PoK. This is why an international campaign and a global discourse on the PoK is needed.

“Unless and until the issues become global and world leaders begin talking about it, there would be no respite for the people of the region,” the experts said.

If people from the PoK living abroad unite, they could find it easier to build a global narrative around the situation in the region. There are currently around two million people from PoK living abroad.

The majority of this diaspora originally belong to Kotli, Bhimber and Mirpur districts. The highest concentration is hosted by the United Kingdom, with estimates ranging from 1 million to 1.5 million. The remaining reside in the Middle East, North America, Canada and the United States.

Officials said the Pakistani establishment has made every effort to restrict communication with the outside world to prevent the issue from gaining international attention. They said reports emerging from the region may represent only 20 to 30 per cent of what is actually happening on the ground.

The situation is reportedly far worse, with the actual figures for deaths, disappearances and injuries remaining largely under-reported. With the AAC now calling for global protests, the Pakistani establishment is likely to tighten restrictions on the flow of information and communication from the region.

For Pakistan, ensuring that the issue does not turn global is important as it has projected on the world stage that it is an international peace broker, the officials said.

Source: IANS

The post PoK protests to go global from Thursday, AAC to observe Pakistan’s I-Day as Black Day appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 11 (SocialNews.XYZ) The government is leaving no stone unturned to secure India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh amid intelligence inputs warning that elements backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) could attempt a misadventure.

Ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, multiple Intelligence inputs have warned that Pakistan could attempt not only a major strike along the border areas but also target locations within the country.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the ISI feels that the focus of the security agencies, especially in Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir, would largely be around the celebrations on August 15.

“The ISI is trying to exploit this and will attempt something major either on Independence Day or ahead of it,” the official warned.

The official said that these elements would first try to enforce infiltration of terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir.

Attempts would also be made to push terrorists through the Bangladesh border. Further, the ISI is also aiming to strike in two-tier cities where security is generally lower as compared to the metros and other major cities.

An official said intercepts from across the border clearly indicate that the ISI is under pressure. The Pakistan establishment has been put on the back foot by the turmoil in regions such as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Balochistan.

It is looking for a big diversion and carrying out a strike on India’s Independence Day would serve that purpose, the official said.

Currently, security agencies are maintaining a heightened focus on Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, and Delhi, which have traditionally been among the areas targeted by the Pakistani spy agency. While an attack in any of these places would send a strong message, carrying one out would be difficult for the ISI given the tight security arrangements in place.

Another official warned that to divert the attention of the agencies, the ISI could also sound a false alarm. There are several intercepts that suggest that a big attack is being planned in Delhi or Kashmir.

Many such intelligence inputs are generally not actionable in nature. This is a deliberate strategy to divert attention, while in reality, an attack would be planned elsewhere, the official also said.

For the agencies, the task on the borders with both Pakistan and Bangladesh poses the biggest challenge. The border agencies are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to securing these borders as the ISI would look to meddle the most here, officials say.

At the western border with Pakistan, the Border Security Force (BSF) has launched Operation Alert. The exercise that began on August 10 and would go on until August 17 is witnessing the participation of all senior officers of the BSF. This comes in the wake of the BSF getting information about a possible misadventure by the ISI.

“There is also credible information about possible infiltration and smuggling attempts. During this period, a large force would keep a close watch on every activity along the border. Surveillance and patrolling have been increased significantly in these areas,” an official said.

On the other hand, to enhance security along the Bangladesh border, the Centre has decided to set up nearly 40 Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB) units across the bordering districts in West Bengal.

An official explained that this is one of the biggest expansions of the field structure for the Intelligence Bureau. This was a much-needed exercise considering how vulnerable this border is. The setting up of the SIB units would establish a permanent operational presence.

The official said securing the border requires constant surveillance and continuous intelligence gathering. Smuggling attempts, infiltration bids and other extremist activities are regularly reported along the border. Given the persistent nature of these attempts, it is crucial to have real-time intelligence to detect and thwart any nefarious activity, the official said.

Source: IANS

The post ISI may target India around Independence Day, security agencies on high alert appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) There has been a mushrooming of several organisations related to charity, education, religion and healthcare in recent years. Indian agencies have found that not all of them are set up for the purpose that they claim.

In reality, many are just front organisations set up to receive illicit money, which eventually will be used to fund terror or create trouble in various parts of the country.

An official said that there is a major ongoing campaign against the country and hence one is getting to witness the sudden rise of such front organisations. The official added that countries such as Pakistan, which has a policy to bleed India by a thousand cuts is leading the charge.

The Pakistanis who are in charge of this job do not use resources in their own country. They have reached out to their agents operating abroad. These persons are in turn told to coordinate with their counterparts in India and then set up such front organisations.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that these organisations do not look suspicious as they do not do anything in the open. While their activities can be eventually tracked, the problem lies in the detection of their funds.

Money is brought to India through legitimate channels such as the banking sector. These amounts are usually smaller as they would need to justify the transactions to the banks. Once in the Indian banks, they are drawn out before making their way to such organisations, the official also added.

The other route which remains immensely popular even today is hawala. These elements still consider this to be the safest bet to route money into India and then hand it over to such organisations.

Another official explained that this model had a lot of success in Kerala. A large number of people from these states work in the Gulf. Most of them use the hawala channels rather than the traditional banking route to send money as they find it cheaper and safer.

Such persons based in the Gulf are targeted by these agents. These persons are handed out the money and then asked to route it into India while they are sending their own money to their families. Back in India, the families are contacted by the touts, and then the money is collected before being routed into such organisations.

An official said that these transactions are harder to track as the volume is massive. While tracking the organisation and their activities per se is not the hard part, it is the money trail that remains the challenge.

In the last ten years, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Intelligence Bureau have worked tirelessly to bring down these organisations. While several organisations have been acted upon, the problem is that after a cooling period, newer ones come up.

During all these investigations, the ED in particular has found tracking the funding trail to be the most challenging. Officials say that such organisations are not limited to certain parts of the country. While smaller in number per state, their spread is across the country, and this is what makes the whole job challenging.

All these organisations and the people dealing with them have taken inspiration from the Zakir Naik-founded Islamic Research Foundation (IRF). The IRF was one of the first to set up an organisation to collect charity in the name of education and healthcare. However, a majority of the money that came into the IRF was routed towards propagating extremist ideology.

While the newer organisations may not operate on the scale of the IRF, the challenge is the sheer number of them, the official said. While some organisations work for longer periods, there are others who are set up temporarily. Such organisations come up during a natural calamity, a riot or protests.

They remain in operation for a brief period and collect money from within the country in the name of providing relief. Once the issue is done, they shut shop and then move the money to terror groups or other elements tasked with causing trouble in the country, the official also added.

Source: IANS

The post Charity, education, healthcare fronts emerging as new channels for terror funding: Agencies appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Intelligence agencies have issued a high alert for Punjab ahead of Independence Day on August 15. The agencies say that pro-Khalistan elements would look to carry out an attack on that day.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the Khalistani groups are planning strikes in several parts of Punjab. This has been their plan for long, but they would want to time the attack on Independence Day, the official added.

The official further said that pro-Khalistan terror groups want the attack to be a symbolic one and hence have planned it for August 15. They would not mind even if the attack is smaller in nature, but they want to send out a message when India celebrates Independence Day, the official also said.

The warning comes amidst a major push being made by the ISI to revive the Khalistan movement in Punjab. With crackdowns galore on gangster-terror networks both in India and Canada, these groups find themselves to be on the back foot.

The desperation is growing, and hence they would indulge in a misadventure in Punjab. An official said that a close watch is also being kept on the activities of the proscribed outfit, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).

The chief of the banned outfit, Gurpatwant Singh, has been active on social media of late. He has been urging the youth in Punjab to hoist Khalistan flags on schools and other public places. He has been instructing the youth to term August 15 as a dark day and also gather in large numbers and protest against the Indian state.

While on one hand there are terror strikes that are being planned, a major propaganda drive is also on the anvil of these elements.

Earlier this week, pro-Khalistan slogans were found written on a government middle school in Kotla Heran village in Punjab. The slogans found on the school read, “Khalistan Zindabad.” The police who sprang into action later erased the slogans from the walls. Another official said that these elements are also attempting something similar in Canada and the United Kingdom on August 15. They have plans to shift the narrative away from India’s Independence Day and push their agenda for a separate Khalistan nation carved out of India’s Punjab, the official also added.

Meanwhile, the Intelligence agencies are keeping a close tab on the activities of the SFJ online. Gurpatwant Singh is trying to push pro-Khalistan content heavily on social media. The content would revolve around the creation of a separate Khalistan nation, and also calls would be made to the youth of Punjab to rise against the Indian state.

He also plans on running hate campaigns against India. In the past, Singh’s campaigns have largely focused on calling for attacks in India. He has particularly focused on running a smear campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Officials say that these elements would look to organise a referendum in various countries. After the Canadian and UK authorities stepped up the heat on this movement and its members, the Khalistan groups tried making a shift to Malaysia and Azerbaijan. However, Malaysia has been tough on these elements and in June this year deported Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) members to India.

Officials say that this is a crucial time for the battle against the Khalistan movement. They have become desperate; their backers, the ISI, are getting edgy, and hence the chances of them indulging in a massive misadventure cannot be ruled out, the official also said.

Source: IANS

The post Aug 15 strike, online propaganda drive: SFJ steps up Khalistan push appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) Bangladesh reportedly remains “outraged” two days after its deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy addressed an online press conference in New Delhi, though reportage remains missing in Bangladesh due to an official call.

It was Sajeeb Wazed’s iteration on the current political and security situation in Bangladesh – where he claimed the country was moving towards instability and could emerge as a source of regional insecurity if urgent corrective measures are not taken – that raises grave concerns for South Asia.

Significantly, in his statement on Wednesday, Sajeeb Wazed further alleged that post-Hasina Bangladesh has increasingly come to resemble “another Pakistan on India’s eastern front”. There have been several reportages having mentioned that since the past two years, Dhaka’s approach has significantly shifted and that such changes within Bangladesh have drawn attention to its switch in domestic policies and evolving relations outside.

After Hasina’s ouster, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government formally reversed a ban on the country’s largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir.

The then Awami League-led government under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had banned the group under the country's Anti-Terrorism Act, accusing it of inciting violence during student-led protests. Following her exit, the interim government revoked the executive ban, stating it found "no specific evidence" connecting Jamaat or its affiliates to terrorist activities.

The Jamaat-e-Islami has since consolidated itself, evolving as the principal Opposition, at the head of an alliance, to the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). It has, on several occasions, also tried to pressure Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to pay heed to its demands.

Also, the interim government had re-established air connectivity between Bangladesh and Pakistan officially after a 14-year hiatus. It thus resumed the state-run Biman Bangladesh Airlines to operate non-stop direct flights on the Dhaka-Karachi route.

Direct commercial flights between the two nations had been completely suspended since 2012 by the Hasina administration citing security concerns. Thereafter, reports of suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives travelling on a Bangladesh Biman Airlines flight from Karachi to Dhaka raised concerns over regional security.

The flight, which arrived in Dhaka on January 30 this year with 113 passengers on board, reportedly had “at least 28 individuals” under scrutiny for possible links to LeT.

Earlier reports claimed that the interim government had, in end-2024, dismantled critical safeguards designed to protect the region from terrorism and organised crime. An imminent threat was perceived with the then administration allegedly “abruptly withdrawing mandatory security clearance for Pakistani nationals and exempting Pakistani cargo from customs inspections”.

Meanwhile, a surge in defence intelligence analyses and political statements highlighted allegations regarding the expansion of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) operations via Bangladesh, an issue raised by Sajeeb Wazed as well.

According to regional intelligence briefs published by independent platforms, field reports have indicated that the ISI is using Bangladesh as a transit node. Such reports allege that the ISI, in coordination with its proxy Lashkar, has been plotting actions, focusing heavily on India's eastern border states.

Though the BNP-led government has since moderated some of these steps, Dhaka still needs to tread a clear path for regional safety and stability.

In a significant switch, Bangladesh’s cooperation with China has expanded rapidly in recent years, with projects including infrastructure, energy, and defence that carry strategic weight. Among notable initiatives is the Mongla Port Economic Zone, a 110-acre industrial hub being developed by the state-owned China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation. The location makes it particularly significant, as it positions Chinese-backed industry close to India’s eastern frontier, potentially reshaping regional trade flows and supply chains.

A proposed airport near Mongla has also drawn Chinese interest, raising regional concerns. Another major undertaking is the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project. The river, originating from Sikkim, is a major tributary of the Brahmaputra River, which flows as the Jamuna in Bangladesh.

It has long been a source of water-sharing disputes. China’s involvement in dredging, flood control, and hydrological management introduces new dynamics into this sensitive issue. It raises concerns about Beijing’s growing influence over transboundary water resources that directly affect its northeastern states.

On the defence front, Beijing is assisting Dhaka in developing a submarine base at Cox’s Bazar, which helps China expand its military footprint in South Asia, especially given its role in supplying submarines to Bangladesh’s navy. Beyond these, projects also include Beijing’s push to integrate Bangladesh into its Belt and Road Initiative framework.

Source: IANS

The post ‘Another Pakistan’ warning puts Bangladesh’s strategic shift in focus appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) Criminal syndicates, including the network run by Dawood Ibrahim, have long been involved in circulating fake Indian currency notes.

Backed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), these networks have treated counterfeit currency as one of their most profitable operations for years.

Indian security agencies have now detected a significant shift in the way counterfeit currency is being pushed into the country. Investigators say the circulation of fake Rs 500 notes has declined sharply, pointing to a change in the strategy adopted by the counterfeit currency network.

Earlier, the network primarily focused on counterfeiting Rs 200 and Rs 500 notes. Agencies have now found that the emphasis has shifted to lower denominations, with fake Rs 10, Rs 20 and Rs 50 notes being circulated in large numbers.

The circulation of counterfeit currency not only finances these criminal syndicates but also poses a threat to India's economic stability. Officials say this is one of the key reasons why Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has continued to facilitate the trade, much of which is allegedly orchestrated through the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate.

An Intelligence Bureau official said there are credible intelligence inputs indicating that Pakistan's ISI is planning to flood the market with counterfeit currency in lower denominations. According to the official, the strategy is to circulate fake Rs 10, Rs 20 and Rs 50 notes in much larger volumes than before.

“There are multiple reasons behind this newfound strategy. These elements are aware that people are extremely cautious about notes above Rs 100 denomination and will conduct a detailed check before accepting them. However, that is not the case when it comes to smaller denomination notes,” the official said.

People are generally less cautious when handling Rs 10, Rs 20 or Rs 50 notes and rarely stop to check whether they are genuine or counterfeit. That is precisely what these networks are seeking to exploit, the official said.

Officials said the syndicates believe lower denomination counterfeit notes are less likely to attract attention, making them easier to circulate in large numbers without raising suspicion.

Another official said that the period up to April 2027 will be crucial.

The biggest push would be made by these gangs to circulate fake notes of smaller denominations during these months. India plans to roll out polymer or plastic bank notes by 2028. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said that polymer bank notes in the denominations of Rs 10 and 20 will be rolled out in 2028.

While the primary objective of introducing polymer notes is to increase their lifespan to nearly four times that of existing paper currency, they are also expected to offer significantly stronger security features. Officials say the enhanced anti-counterfeiting measures will make the notes far more difficult to replicate.

The plastic substrate allows for advanced security integrations which are impossible on paper. These new notes would have transparent windows, specialised metallic links and micro-optic holograms which would make them extremely difficult to forge.

Before this roll out, it is suspected that the ISI-backed gangs may look to ramp up circulation of counterfeit notes of the smaller denominations in the country.

Officials say that these gangs would focus increasingly on notes of smaller denominations. Once the rollout is complete in 2028, these syndicates would look to target the Rs 50 and 100 notes more compared with the notes of the Rs 500 denomination, the agencies warned.

The RBI has repeatedly issued instructions on how to spot a counterfeit note. The apex bank says that the small denominations may not have a high value, but are used more frequently in daily transactions. This makes them a common target for fraud, and hence citizens must be more careful while dealing with such currency, officials point out.

Source: IANS

The post From Rs 500 to Rs 10: ISI shifts fake currency strategy, floods India with counterfeit low-value notes appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) Multiple intelligence assessments suggest that the Jaish-e-Mohammed is likely to focus more on ideological mobilisation than carrying out direct terror attacks.

The outfit was among the hardest hit during Operation Sindoor. Since then, its leadership has largely remained silent, with little to no public messaging or operational claims.

An official said there has been little indication of any revival within the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). "The leadership has remained quiet, and there has been hardly any significant activity reported for nearly a year now," the official said.

However, that is not the case with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). It has been recruiting people into the outfit. It has also been actively undertaking operations with the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), while also shifting training camps close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

The Lashkar’s main training camp at Muridke near Lahore was destroyed during Operation Sindoor. The Jaish, on the other hand, has not attempted anything major since then. However, its name has surfaced during investigations into three major terror cases in India.

The Faridabad module that executed the Red Fort car bomb blast had members who were all inspired by the ideology of the JeM.

In Gujarat, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested over five persons who had run Improvised Explosive Device (IED) trials and were in the process of undertaking a major terror attack in the state. All of them were inspired by JeM ideology, and the outfit did not have a direct hand in their operations.

The case is similar in West Bengal. The Special Task Force (STF) arrested an operative on the charge that he was gathering sensitive information for the Inter Services Intelligence and was also planning to assassinate West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

The accused, Hamim Mondal, was also inspired by the Jaish, the probe had found. An Intelligence Bureau official says this is a new trend emerging.

"The probe has not found any direct involvement of the Jaish-e-Mohammed in these cases. The accused were in contact with their handlers. While some appear to have acted on their own, others were directed to carry out specific activities. The common thread, however, is that the Jaish has been able to spread its ideology without being directly involved in the execution of these acts," the official said.

Basically, its name remains in circulation, and for now that is good enough for the group, the official said.

Such a strategy also gives the Jaish time to regroup and rebuild. With its leadership maintaining a prolonged silence, recruitment in Pakistan has declined sharply. However, incidents in India are likely to be exploited by the outfit as propaganda to revive recruitment and attract fresh cadres.

Another official said this could be part of a well-planned strategy by Pakistan's ISI. By relying on modules inspired by the Jaish-e-Mohammed rather than operatives directly linked to the outfit, Pakistan can distance itself from the attacks and retain a degree of operational deniability.

Further, it gives the outfit time to revive itself while also remaining relevant through its ideology.

An official said that the JeM is likely to continue with this strategy for some time. Basically, it is looking for time to regroup, while, at the same time, it does not want its ideology to vanish. For this, the ISI has picked up certain elements to push the ideology of the outfit by selecting some Indian youth through social media.

The Pakistani spy agency is also using the likes of Shahzad Bhatti, a master at recruitment to help push the Jaish-e-Mohammed ideology in India, an official also added.

Source: IANS

The post After Operation Sindoor, Jaish shifts from guns to ideology as ISI backs new playbook appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 5 (SocialNews.XYZ) The ongoing confrontation between security forces and protesters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has left several terror outfits increasingly frustrated.

Groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen, which have long kept their focus on Jammu and Kashmir, are understood to believe that the situation in PoK needs to be resolved so that their attention can shift back to their primary area of operation.

The Pakistan establishment has attempted to use these terror groups to incite violence in the region and shift the blame onto the local population, which has largely been holding peaceful protests. However, Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin has appealed for restraint, urging both the protesters and the Pakistan establishment to step back and resolve the issue through dialogue.

An official said that these terror groups believe the prolonged protests and the repeated use of force by the security forces are undermining their broader agenda.

“Today (Wednesday) marks seven years since the abrogation of Article 370, and there is a massive difference when it comes to Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir,” the official pointed out.

The official said the terror groups were created by Pakistan with the primary objective of targeting Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Over the years, they allegedly sought to incite violence in the region and, through separatist networks, propagated the narrative that they were fighting for the interests of the people and that Jammu and Kashmir should be separated from India.

Another official said that post the abrogation of Article 370, a lot has changed in J&K.

“The people are happy that violence has come down and the tourism sector is thriving. If J&K remains peaceful and PoK is marred by violence, then these terror groups cannot push their agenda. If these terror groups try to push their agenda, the people of J&K could turn round and see the PoK situation as an example of what they do not want,” the official said.

The agenda that J&K would be better off if separated from India and aligned with Pakistan loses credibility in the face of the continuing violence in PoK, the official said.

An Intelligence Bureau official said the story today is one of two Kashmirs and the widening contrast between them.

“This automatically punctures the agenda of the Inter Services Intelligence-backed terror groups. This explains their desperation and the appeals that are being made to restore peace in PoK,” the official said.

While the Hizbul Mujahideen chief has been vocal about the issue, the heads of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed are relatively quiet.

The official said that although no public statements have been issued, there is growing disquiet within the leadership and cadres of these terror groups over the developments in PoK.

Salahuddin in his appeal said that the loss of lives, damage to property and forced disappearance of people of the region is inflicting severe damage on the morals of the Kashmiris.

He even said that due to the violence, the borders are becoming vulnerable to enemy infiltration.

The officials say that while the Hizbul Mujahideen chief may have appealed for peace, the borders are not vulnerable as India does not indulge in infiltrations of terrorists into Pakistan. That is what the Pakistanis do, the official said, adding that Salauddin is trying to drag the Kashmiris (of J&K) into this.

Violence in PoK has been going on unabated for over the past two months. The Joint Action Awami Committee (JAAC), which has been leading the peaceful protests, has been demanding better infrastructure and also affordable living conditions. The security forces have, however, taken violent action by killing nearly 40 people and enforcing forced disappearances. Indian officials say that there are no signs of the situation calming down.

Unless the Pakistani establishment sincerely addresses the grievances of the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and resolves them, the protesters are unlikely to return to their homes, the official said.

Source: IANS

The post PoK unrest leaves Lashkar, Jaish, Hizbul leaderships on backfoot; weakens Kashmir narrative appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 4 (SocialNews.XYZ) Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is attempting to advance a softer version of the Khalistan agenda in Punjab by instructing sympathisers to infiltrate mainstream political parties ahead of the upcoming elections, intelligence officials have warned.

The shift in strategy follows repeated failures by the Pakistani spy agency to revive the separatist movement in Punjab. The strategy being considered mirrors the approach the ISI has allegedly adopted in Jammu and Kashmir.

Officials said that in Jammu and Kashmir, the ISI had instructed members of its overground worker (OGW) network to infiltrate mainstream political parties. The objective, they said, was to gain entry into parties such as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Union Territory and promote a separatist narrative from within.

Ahead of the elections in Punjab, the Pakistani spy agency has been scouting for people in the state to either join mainstream political parties or fight the elections independently.

“The ISI, however, is looking for persons who believe in the Khalistan movement so that they could carry forth the agenda once they enter into mainstream politics,” officials said.

An Intelligence Bureau official said the strategy is intended to influence political discourse in favour of the Khalistan narrative.

The Indian security agencies have been relentless in their efforts to crack down on the Khalistan movement, the official said, adding multiple attempts have been made to revive the movement in Punjab.

There have been sporadic instances in which these elements managed to carry out low-intensity attacks. However, officials said their activities in Punjab have lacked consistency, limiting the impact of their efforts and forcing the ISI to reassess its strategy. As a result, the agency is now attempting a new approach by encouraging more Khalistan sympathisers to become part of mainstream politics and influence the narrative from within.

Officials said that if the ISI succeeds in its plans, it would encourage these recruits to promote the Khalistan ideology from within the political system. They said such a strategy could help lend political legitimacy to the movement and expand its influence through mainstream democratic platforms.

Another official said that, like in the case of Jammu and Kashmir, the Khalistan groups are under tremendous pressure. What has added salt to their wounds is that countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and more importantly, Canada have started to crack down on the Khalistan movement. These Khalistan groups derived much support in recent years thanks to political backing. They also relied heavily on the gangster network which would carry out hit jobs and smuggle narcotics to fund the movement.

With increased crackdowns in India and overseas, supporters of the Khalistan movement have come under sustained pressure, prompting them to explore alternative methods of advancing their agenda, officials said. Intelligence agencies have cautioned political parties in Punjab to exercise greater scrutiny while inducting new members, warning that some individuals could seek to enter mainstream politics with long-term objectives.

According to officials, such recruits may initially avoid any public association with the Khalistan movement but could begin promoting its ideology after elections in an attempt to influence political discourse from within.

Officials say that the ISI-backed Khalistan sympathisers would look to enter political parties at multiple levels. They could be at top positions or even at the grassroots level, officials say.

Another official said that infiltration at any level of a political organisation could have serious consequences. According to the official, even if such elements gain entry only at the grassroots level, their presence in significant numbers could pose a substantial security concern and provide a platform to gradually advance their agenda.

“They would use the political patronage and the banner of the party to propagate in favour of the Khalistan movement. When such propaganda comes with the backing of a political banner, the people tend to feel that the movement is a legitimate one and this is where the major danger lies,” the officials said.

Source: IANS

The post ISI shifts Khalistan strategy, targets political infiltration in Punjab ahead of polls appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 4 (SocialNews.XYZ) Investigators in West Bengal are probing the broader objectives of a Jaish-e-Mohammed-linked module that was recently busted by the Special Task Force (STF).

While investigators have established that one of the module's key objectives was to build an influencer network, the STF is also examining evidence suggesting plans to recruit a large number of women to allegedly target the sons of ministers in West Bengal and other states through honey-trap operations.

An official said that the module had placed special emphasis on West Bengal. Investigators have learnt that it was designed as a multi-purpose network with plans to recruit many operatives.

According to the official, the module had allegedly been tasked by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) with targeting the Chief Minister of West Bengal, expanding its influencer network, and recruiting women to carry out honey-trap operations targeting ministers and their sons.

“Setting honey traps was one of the main intentions of this module,” an official said.

Investigators said the module was allegedly scouting for young women who could be recruited for honey-trap operations. Officials added that those recruited were allegedly promised hefty payments in return for carrying out such assignments.

Another official said that once the girls were recruited into the modules, they were told to set traps on the specific targets -- sons of ministers.

During the probe, it was uncovered that the Jaish-e-Mohammed linked module had plans of abducting the sons of ministers and demanding huge ransom through an extortion racket.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the manner in which these newer modules are working is highly disturbing.

Earlier modules were set up by the ISI-backed elements with the sole intention of carrying out a terror attack. Those modules were only told to focus on procuring materials, preparing bombs, and then strike at important locations. However, the new modules, especially created by influencer-turned ISI operative Shehzad Bhatti, do not focus much on blasts or fedayeen attacks.

“These modules are more into running disinformation campaigns, espionage, setting honey traps, abductions, extortion and targeted strikes,” the official added.

This is a well-planned strategy by Pakistan’s spy agency as the risks in undertaking such activity are less when compared to carrying out a bomb blast.

“A bomb blast requires expertise, logistical support, among others. Such an activity also tends to leave a major trail, which makes it relatively easier for the agencies to track. This is something that the ISI wants to avoid at any cost,” officials say.

Another trend emerging in recent times is the recruiting of women influencers. Post Operation Sindoor, the agencies arrested a noted influencer, Jyoti Malhotra. The investigating agencies accused her of creating positive content about Pakistan. She was also accused of trying to gather sensitive information and then pass it on to Pakistan through its embassy in New Delhi.

The West Bengal STF's investigation has uncovered a similar pattern. Among those arrested is alleged influencer Arpita Sarkar, a 22-year-old woman from Jharkhand. Investigators are examining her alleged links with the module's key accused, Hamim Mondal of West Bengal. The STF is also scrutinising her digital records and probing the purpose behind her frequent visits from Jharkhand to Kolkata.

The agencies are also looking at attempts that this module was making to incite violence at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Further, the module members were in the process of procuring police uniforms to establish contacts with influential people in a bid to gather important information, the officials said.

Source: IANS

The post West Bengal STF probes Jaish honey-trap plot targeting ministers’ sons appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Aug 3 (SocialNews.XYZ) The situation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) worsened overnight as protesters refused to disperse and security forces allegedly opened fire on demonstrators.

Reports from PoK said that the security forces launched a midnight crackdown on protesters, with gunfire reported in Rawalakot.

An Intelligence Bureau official said the reported gunfire came as scores of women and children joined the ongoing protest. Many women and children have remained at the protest site for the past 50 days, with dozens more joining them on Sunday.

Pakistan, which has refused to accept the demands raised by the people of PoK, has instead continued to deploy more security personnel at protest sites across the region.

An official said that to date, more than 40 persons have been killed by the security forces.

“The fear is that a desperate Pakistan may start targeting women and children only to spread fear among the people in the region. They can go to any lengths to put down the protests, and this could result in a human tragedy of an unimaginable level,” the official said.

The protests began with the people of the region asking for better amenities and more development. The protests have intensified after the election process began in PoK.

The allegedly rigged elections have also deepened differences within the ruling coalition, with tensions emerging between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), according to protesters.

The PPP has accused the PML-N of colluding with the Pakistan Army to rig the elections. Protesters and opposition leaders also allege that Field Marshal Asim Munir is seeking tighter control over PoK by ensuring the installation of a leader aligned with the military establishment.

Protesters have now announced plans to march to Muzaffarabad to voice their opposition to what they describe as a heavily manipulated election. They allege that Pakistan's extensive interference in the administration of PoK has undermined the democratic process and left the region with little or no development.

Another official said that the protesters, who have held out against every atrocity committed by the security forces, are not going to leave anytime soon. There have been protests in PoK earlier, but Pakistan has always managed to put them down. This was done either by force or by making promises which were never kept by the political class of Pakistan.

"This time, the situation is different. The people of the region are determined to make their voices heard, even if it comes at a very high cost," the official said.

Officials say that the security buildup is massive. They have been instructed to carry out intermittent firing at protest sites at regular intervals.

Pakistan hopes it can scare the protesters and get them back down, the official added.

Experts say that the situation in the region was already tense, and the completion of the electoral process is unlikely to restore normalcy anytime soon.

In fact, matters are only going to get worse, and the new government in PoK will find it very difficult to function. The people are demanding accountability, and they are well aware that the new government has come to power only after a lot of rigging took place, the experts say.

Officials say that PoK would continue to remain on the edge.

The challenge for Pakistan has grown significantly as the protests are no longer confined to Rawalakot. People from across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) have joined the agitation, which is now spreading rapidly across the region. Once larger crowds begin to mobilise, Pakistani security forces will face an increasingly difficult task in containing the unrest, the official said.

Source: IANS

The post PoK unrest deepens as protesters defy Pakistan’s midnight crackdown appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, July 31 (SocialNews.XYZ) There is a new headache for the Indian security agencies as it has been noticed in recent weeks that foreign networks are using the online space to instigate some youth in the country. Multiple foreign networks have been working in tandem to run a massive propaganda campaign in a bid to instigate the youth into indulging in violence.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that these foreign networks working for the ISI have been told to join hands to carry out this major operation. The official said that the latest development would indicate that the ISI has told the Sikhs for Justice and the Shahzad Bhatti network to work in tandem in a bid to incite violence in the country.

Currently, the targets are those with criminal backgrounds. They are paid a good sum of money to undertake the job, the official said. Their brief is to infiltrate protests or demonstrations and incite violence. The aim is to ensure a strong police response against the demonstrators and make this a global issue. Once these elements manage to elicit a strong police response, the visuals are captured and then circulated across the globe in large numbers, the official added.

The idea is to malign the image of the country by showing to the world that the police have been given a free hand to act against protesters by using excessive force. Another official said that the biggest problem is recruiting persons with criminal backgrounds. These elements are used to carry out violence and crimes. They can very easily incite violence and rile up the police as they are experts in doing so.

These networks would also be looking for persons who have been booked previously for rioting or indulging in communal violence. These are the perfect candidates for the SFJ or Bhatti network, as such candidates have prior hand experience in inciting violence, the official also added.

The agencies have learnt that these networks are primarily operating from North America and Europe. Officials say that it is not just the recruitment that is worrying. Apart from this, these networks have even instructed their people to flood the internet with propaganda material, particularly videos on channels such as YouTube. This is an ongoing process for the agencies, an official explained.

Videos with false narratives are being circulated in large numbers. Such videos and fake claims by Pakistani accounts only went up after Operation Sindoor, as they wanted to cover the losses they faced at the hands of the Indian armed forces. These networks, run by the ISI, have been routing funds to the recruits through hawala channels.

Also on the watch of the Indian agencies are the fake charities across the country. These charities too have been instructed to distribute the money to the recruits. What has also caught the attention of the Indian agencies is that such campaigns are not being pushed in a rush.

It is a systematic campaign to change the discourse and narrative in the country gradually. The ultimate goal, however, is to incite violence and force the police to commit excesses. Any major action by the police tends to become an international issue. These elements want such issues to be highlighted by the foreign media and ultimately run a narrative that India is a police state, an official added.

Source: IANS

The post SFJ-Bhatti nexus aims to provoke police action, fuel anti-India narrative globally appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, July 31 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has upped the ante against Chinese investments in the region. Direct threats are being made to people working on such projects, including contractors and engineers. This is part of the BLA’s new strategy, which aims to intimidate workers to stay away from China-linked projects in the region.

The people of Balochistan have for long complained that the Pakistan establishment is robbing the region of its legitimate rights. Balochistan is a resource-rich region, but the people have never benefited from it. Moreover, Chinese investments in the region too are not benefiting the Baloch people. All the money Pakistan makes from the region is being diverted only to the main cities, from which politicians, bureaucrats and generals benefit.

An official said that the BLA has hit Chinese investments several times in recent years. It has also engaged fiercely with the Pakistani security forces. This seems to be the latest tactic by the BLA to intimidate workers so that they panic and leave the projects they are working on in Balochistan.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the BLA would use tactics at its disposal until the voices of the people of the region are heard. A few weeks back, the BLA claimed responsibility for the ambush in Mastung district in which over a dozen Pakistani army soldiers were killed. This was yet another embarrassment for the Pakistan army as it exposed how vulnerable they are in the region.

The official explained that this is a deliberate BLA strategy by which it regularly changes its tactics to spring a surprise. At first, the complete focus was on targeting the infrastructure. Then came the sustained attacks on the security forces. Today they are indulging in intimidation of the workers, contractors and all those associated with the projects in Balochistan.

Another official said that this puts the security forces on the back foot. The problem for them is that they do not know what to expect. In the midst of this, the BLA even built a strong suicide squad comprising women. The BLA has managed to confuse the security forces, and they are unable to deploy any particular strategy owing to changing tactics by the BLA, the official also pointed out.

To beat the narrative, Pakistan even tried to bring the people of Baloch on board so that they do not align with the BLA. The people are being told that these projects are meant to benefit the region. These projects are aimed at providing economic stability and creating jobs for the people of the region, the people have been told.

Officials say that the trust that eroded long back will be extremely hard to restore. The Pakistani establishment says one thing on one hand and does exactly the opposite. For Field Marshal Asim Munir, it has also become an ego issue. While he instructs the political class to make false assurances on the other hand, he orders the massacre of the people of Balochistan, the official pointed out.

Pakistan watchers note that the road ahead for security forces would be extremely hard. The only thing that would work is to live up to the assurances that are being made to the people. The toughest job would be to deal with the BLA, which has only been growing in strength.

Moreover, they have adopted multiple strategies that have kept the security forces on their toes, as a result of which the losses that the establishment is incurring are huge, officials also note.

Source: IANS

The post BLA’s tactical evolution keeps Pak security forces on their toes appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, July 30 (SocialNews.XYZ) The hunt for social media influencer-turned Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-paid terror recruiter Shahzad Bhatti is set to widen. Bhatti, who was operating from Dubai, was briefly shifted to Pakistan to coordinate with ISI handlers in setting up a large recruitment network aimed at luring Indian youth and using them for terror-related activities.

With multiple security agencies dismantling modules allegedly controlled by Bhatti, pressure on him has increased significantly. This is understood to have prompted the ISI to move him out of Pakistan, as it no longer wanted him operating from the country.

An Intelligence Bureau official said the latest inputs suggest that Bhatti may have been moved to Brazil and instructed to remain there until the pressure surrounding him subsides.

"Verification of his exact whereabouts is underway. Once his location is confirmed, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will coordinate with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to secure an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) against Shahzad Bhatti," the official said.

The NIA's efforts received a major boost after a Special Court in Mohali issued a non-bailable warrant against Bhatti. The open-ended warrant gives the agency additional time to pursue the legal process against him and will remain in force until his arrest.

An official said that intelligence agencies are currently verifying Bhatti's whereabouts. "At the same time, efforts are underway to secure an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) against him. This will eventually be followed by a formal extradition request," the official added.

Another official said that if the agencies manage to establish that Bhatti is based out of Brazil, then the extradition would not be a problem. Both countries signed an extradition treaty in 2008, and it came into effect in 2012.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has listed this as an active bilateral agreement which creates a legal framework for seeking extradition of terrorists, economic offenders and other criminals from Brazil.

Officials say that the ISI would look to keep moving Bhatti to various countries. This explains why the NIA is showing a major sense of urgency to have Bhatti extradited as soon as possible.

When the first couple of modules run by Bhatti were busted, not much was known about him. None anticipated that he would be working at the scale at which he is doing so currently.

The modules busted so far may have involved relatively small numbers of recruits. However, what makes the case particularly significant is the large number of such modules that Bhatti is alleged to have established across the country.

Officials say he continues to operate these recruitment networks, making his extradition and subsequent arrest by the NIA an urgent priority.

"This follows a familiar pattern in Pakistan's operations. When pressure mounts on an individual, and there is a likelihood of international scrutiny, such assets are moved out of the country. Pakistan is also under close watch by international bodies such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), making it more difficult for such operatives to function from within the country," the officials said.

Pakistan cannot afford to risk-averse action by the FATF at a time when its economy remains under severe strain. Under such circumstances, any perceived association with terror operatives would further weaken its position. Officials said this approach has not been limited to Bhatti alone, but has also been applied to organisations such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Pakistan has of late increasingly been drawing these terror groups into the political mainstream with the hope that it can avoid scrutiny by international organisations, an official said.

Getting hold of Bhatti is crucial for the Indian security agencies. His arrest and subsequent investigation will be a major success as it would help in shutting down the multiple modules he has set up and also ensure that future recruitments of Indian youth to carry out attacks or undertake surveillance activities in the country would come to a halt, officials point out.

Source: IANS

The post NIA closes in on ISI recruiter Shahzad Bhatti as hunt reaches Brazil appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, July 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) The political fallout from the developments in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is likely to extend beyond the region and eventually reach Islamabad, where allegations of electoral rigging are expected to intensify political tensions.

Although the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) remain partners in the federal coalition, differences between them have widened over several issues. The situation in PoK has emerged as the most significant point of friction, exposing growing strains within the alliance.

At the outset of the election process in PoK, the Joint Action Awami Committee (JAAC) issued a call to boycott the polls, alleging that the electoral process would be rigged. The boycott campaign gained traction amid growing public discontent, with many believing that the elections would not be free or fair. More importantly, the government's continued unwillingness to address longstanding public grievances further reinforced the call for a boycott.

While the PPP and PML-N have been sparring over several issues, the cracks have become wider after the latter won nine of the 13 seats in PoK. The PPP has come out in the open and accused the PML-N of gaining an unfair edge in the elections.

An official said that the outcome of the elections was clear from day one.

“The army and other security agencies had already decided to ensure a PML-N victory by rigging the elections. In their assessment, the PML-N was a more suitable political partner than the PPP. The same pattern is visible in Islamabad, where the military establishment continues to extend its support to the PML-N,” the official alleged.

Another official said the army's preference for the Shehbaz Sharif-led PML-N stems from several factors. He noted that it was Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who conferred the highest rank of Field Marshal on Asim Munir. The official also claimed that Sharif played a key role in securing a substantial increase in defence spending despite strong opposition from the PPP.

The cracks had already started to develop, but both sides had managed to keep the matter under wraps. However, the polls in PoK have been a brazen display of power and engineering by the Pakistan army and its chief, Asim Munir.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the anger by the PPP is understandable. Earlier, such things would be done in a quieter manner. This time around, the rigging was done openly and in a very brazen manner.

The security forces in PoK were instrumental in helping the PML-N cadres capture nearly 30 polling stations. The cadres brandished guns while capturing these polling stations and got the complete backing of the security forces, the official added.

PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto too openly criticised the PML-N for taking institutional support to rig the elections in PoK. Moreover, the boycott calls also seemed to have helped the PML-N.

Officials said the PML-N was aware from the outset that it enjoyed little public support in PoK and was unlikely to secure a majority through a free electoral process. They claimed that many of those who voted for the party did so under fear or coercion by the state. The officials further noted that the PPP and the PML-N also remain divided over the handling of key issues in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), reflecting broader differences within the ruling alliance.

Several leaders within the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) have expressed reservations over the government's approach in these regions. They accuse the PML-N of unconditionally backing the army's policies and operations in KP, Balochistan, and even in matters relating to Afghanistan.

The PPP feels that Sharif has given away too much to Munir and never questions any of his actions.

An official said that the alliance at the centre is that of convenience. Both have a common enemy in former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and both want to keep him out at any cost.

“The manner in which things are shaping up now, it seems unlikely that this alliance in Pakistan would be able to hold on for too long. The cracks are already there, and the way events have shaped up in PoK will only further the divide,” the official said.

Source: IANS

The post Rigging charges in PoK polls expose cracks in Pakistan’s ruling alliance appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, July 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests in Delhi have largely been portrayed as a public outpouring against examination paper leaks, unemployment and corruption. Within weeks, what began as a movement over specific grievances evolved into a nationwide political agitation that eventually led to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The scale and speed of the mobilisation, the CJP's extensive social media outreach, the participation of large numbers of young people and the movement's sustained momentum have prompted questions in several quarters about whether it represents something larger than a domestic protest. While the grievances that drove the agitation merit serious attention, the manner in which the movement expanded reflects a pattern that has become increasingly visible in protest movements across the world over the past two decades.

From Eastern Europe to the Arab Spring, and more recently in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, protests have displayed striking similarities in the way they have been organised. Their messaging, digital mobilisation, international media engagement and, in certain cases, external support have followed comparable templates. Between 2024 and 2026, such uprisings destabilised and, in several instances, brought down governments across three continents, including Bangladesh, Kenya and Serbia. Similar protest movements were also witnessed in Indonesia, Madagascar, Morocco, Nepal, Peru, the Philippines and Timor-Leste during the same period.

Analysts feel that the CJP agitation appears to be like a less isolated political development and more like the global template that one has witnessed in recent years. A major defining character of such movements is the absence of established political parties, at least in the initial stages. Instead, one got to witness politically unaffiliated, tech-savvy individuals who emerged quickly as the face of the agitation.

While social media platforms have become the principal tool for mobilisation, strategically chosen public spaces are used to maximise visibility and public participation. These campaigns often begin around legitimate grievances but gradually expand into broader political movements that challenge the authority of the State. Although many present themselves as decentralised and leaderless, their messaging, logistics and digital mobilisation frequently exhibit a level of coordination that has drawn the attention of governments and security agencies.

The issue is not the grievances themselves, as they are often genuine and widely shared. The more significant question is how these grievances rapidly evolve into sustained political movements capable of destabilising or even toppling governments. The origins of this model can be traced to Eastern Europe in the early 2000s. Serbia's Otpor movement played a pivotal role in the ouster of Slobodan Milošević in 2000. The movement later became the subject of intense debate following reports that its activists had received training and organisational support from Western democracy promotion organisations.

A similar revolution was witnessed in Ukraine four years later in 2004, known as the Orange Revolution. American organisations such as Freedom House, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI) became closely associated with election monitoring, civic training and institutional capacity-building programmes in several countries undergoing political transition.

The supporters of these initiatives argued that they are merely strengthening democratic institutions. However, critics argue that this is a way of shaping political outcomes in countries that are strategically important. The fact, however, is that these organisations invest a lot of resources in developing activist networks, leadership skills and digital communication capabilities.

The debate regarding such movements became even stronger during the Arab Spring. Groups such as Egypt’s April 6 Youth Movement and the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights reportedly took part in training programmes organised by international organisations that claimed to promote democracy. Cables that were released by WikiLeaks showed that activists had established contact with these organisations several years before the uprising.

American officials, however, maintained that these movements were driven primarily by domestic discontent rather than external influence. At the same time, they acknowledged that training and assistance had been provided to strengthen civic participation, non-violent activism and organisational capacity.

In Bangladesh also, one got to witness a similar template where students’ protests led to the ouster of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The protests were centred around quota reforms, and then they escalated into a nationwide political movement, despite judicial intervention into the matter. Hasina blamed foreign hands and alleged that they had played a role in her ouster.

Later it was found that organisations such as USAID, NED, ITI and NDI had, over many years, implemented programmes designed to strengthen democratic participation, electoral institutions and civil society in Bangladesh.

Another dimension of a sustained protest was seen in Sri Lanka in 2022. This protest was owing to an economic collapse, and former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa later wrote that the protest site at Galle Face was well supplied with food, tents, sanitation facilities and logistic support despite the country’s economic distress. His account has been contested, but questions surrounding the financing and the way the protesters could sustain themselves have cropped up.

Nepal, on the other hand, probably had one of the most dramatic uprisings. The speed with which the movement took off and ended has become a subject of debate. In Nepal, the demonstration began due to social media reports, and it escalated into widespread unrest that resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister K P Oli within days. This demonstration showed how online platforms could influence the political process in a State.

The CJP protest in India has also attracted scrutiny. The organisation grew at a remarkable speed over unemployment and examination-related issues. Abhijit Dipke, the founder of the CJP, coordinated the campaign while studying in the United States. He returned to India, and within days the movement had amassed a massive following on social media.

The participation of Sonam Wangchuk through a prolonged hunger strike gave the movement greater national visibility and momentum. As the protests intensified, allegations emerged in sections of the media that the agitation was receiving financial support from abroad.

While these allegations remain unproven, some observers have pointed to similarities with patterns seen in comparable protest movements elsewhere. At the same time, the Opposition sought to derive political advantage from the agitation, while sections of the international media framed the confrontation within a broader narrative of democratic backsliding.

Images of clashes between the police and protesters brought the movement greater international attention, reinforcing a pattern witnessed in several previous protest movements. What the law enforcement agencies appear to have underestimated, as protesters marched towards Parliament, was the scale of mobilisation that ultimately plunged the national capital into chaos. The central issue, however, is not whether the grievances were genuine, but how they evolved into a movement of such magnitude.

The NEET paper leak triggered widespread outrage in India, while Sri Lanka was gripped by a severe economic collapse and allegations of corruption sparked public anger in Nepal. The question, however, is how such legitimate grievances are transformed into sustained movements capable of shaking governments. External actors cannot create public discontent where none exists, but they can, in some circumstances, amplify existing grievances and accelerate mobilisation.

Source: IANS

The post From NEET outrage to national agitation: Does CJP protest fit a global template? appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, July 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) There has been a major crackdown on groups calling for a boycott of the elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The Pakistani security forces have primarily targeted the Awami Action Committee (AAC), which has been spearheading the campaign to boycott the ongoing polls, which began on Monday, in the region.

Violence was reported in Rawalakot’s Dreik Eighth area where security forces targeted the protesters. As of now, the security forces have reportedly killed 20 people who were boycotting the elections.

Indian intelligence agencies have learnt of a massive security build-up across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as the election process began on Monday. Snipers have been deployed at several locations, while the security forces have been accused of using live ammunition and long-range tear gas shells to disperse protesters.

Officials say that the security forces have been ordered to open fire on those boycotting the elections. The establishment wants to clearly silence dissent in the region, which has been witnessing protests for several weeks now.

Field Marshal Asim Munir had recently held meetings with the security forces and directed them to use force if the protests do not subside.

Another official said that the protests were being carried out in a peaceful manner. However, the Pakistan government wants to portray these persons as anti-nationals and ordered the security forces to open fire on them, citing national security, the official also said.

In addition to using brute force against the people of PoK, the establishment has also suspended internet and mobile services in the region. Electricity and water supply have also been cut in several parts of the region.

The AAC has urged journalists and international organisations to raise these issues and circulate their message widely, apparently to build pressure on the Pakistani authorities to stop the atrocities.

As many as 13 seats are up for grabs in the multi-phase legislative assembly elections in PoK. The boycott call has been immensely successful so far, and the same would be witnessed in the remaining phases of the elections as well.

The boycott calls came in the wake of the establishment not listening to the grievances of the PoK people. They feel that no matter which party is elected, Islamabad would ensure that the region remains underdeveloped.

Further, the people are aware that the Pakistani military will rig the elections and put up a party of its choice to govern PoK. Officials say that despite the crackdown, the protesters remain relentless in their pursuit.

“There are no signs of the protests dying down,” officials say.

The people of the region feel they have come this far despite all the might and force being used against them all these days. Hence, it would be futile to give up their protest at this stage, the official also added.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the situation is very tense, especially in Rawalakot. Thousands are protesting, and there is no sign of peace returning any time soon. All eyes are on Rawalakot as the protesters are present there in large numbers.

“Even the brutalities are highest at this place, and estimates suggest that apart from the death of 20 people, over 250 have been injured in firing by the security forces,” the official added.

This brutal crackdown has led to the Opposition in Pakistan condemning these incidents.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), condemned the firing by the security forces and accused the establishment of failing to address the problems of the people.

He said that the people had every right to protest and added that residents of PoK know this election has been rigged. He urged the establishment to stop the oppression of the people and added that his party firmly stands with the people of PoK.

Source: IANS

The post Pakistan deploys snipers, opens fire on PoK poll boycott protesters, 20 killed (Ld) appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, July 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) India is witnessing a disturbing trend, with social media increasingly emerging as a key recruitment platform for terror groups. Extremist organisations are exploiting online platforms to identify, influence and radicalise vulnerable individuals, particularly the youth.

Intelligence agencies have cautioned social media users, especially young people, to exercise extreme vigilance before following suspicious accounts or accepting friend requests from unknown individuals, warning that such seemingly harmless interactions could be the first step towards radicalisation.

An Intelligence Bureau (IB) official said that even accepting a friend request from an unknown person could become the first step in a terror group's recruitment strategy. What appears to be a harmless online interaction may be used to identify, groom and radicalise potential targets.

The IB official advised social media users to thoroughly verify the background of individuals before following their accounts or accepting friend requests. "Even if someone accepts a request unknowingly, they must remain extremely cautious if the person later initiates conversations or attempts to build a rapport online," the official added.

Intelligence officials said that with social media becoming an integral part of daily life, a vast majority of young people are highly active across multiple platforms. According to officials, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has exploited this growing online presence through its Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti network, using social media to identify, groom and recruit several Indian youths into anti-national activities.

Investigations have found that the recruitment pattern adopted by Pakistan-backed terror networks is multi-layered. While social media remains the primary platform for identifying and targeting potential recruits, ISI-backed operatives also rely on messaging applications to establish contact, build trust and eventually lure young people into their network.

A probe by the Assam police found that once youths are recruited on social media, normal conversations take place for nearly a month. Following this, once the recruiter realises that the youths are ready to perform some task for them, they are immediately moved to messaging channels where covert communications take place.

The first step is to establish trust; following this, there are long winding conversations on secret chat applications. The final step is to assign the task, which could range from gathering sensitive information to carrying out a targeted attack for money.

Another official said that a different trend that has come to light is that the recruiters do not mention the name of any terror group while adding new youngsters.

“Mentioning names such as the Jaish-e-Mohammed or Lashkar-e-Taiba tends to frighten the youths as these are known terror organisations. This means that the recruitments are not driven by ideology, but money,” the official added.

Investigations into several Shahzad Bhatti-linked modules busted by security agencies have revealed a common pattern. None of the accused questioned so far admitted to being associated with any terror outfit. Instead, most told investigators that they carried out the tasks assigned to them solely in return for money, without questioning the identity or motives of those directing them.

Officials say that even the monetary transactions are not done directly by the recruiters. The ISI has its operatives in India, who transfer the money to these young recruits. Those transferring the money are in turn reportedly paid by the ISI recruiters through hawala and other discreet channels.

The security agencies are on the hunt for these people who handle the monetary dealings. Officials say that tracking these persons down is important as this will clearly help establish the financial trail.

An official said security agencies are carrying out a large-scale operation to dismantle these recruitment networks. While several individuals linked to the Shahzad Bhatti modules have already been arrested, the bigger challenge lies in identifying and tracking those who are still unknowingly engaging in seemingly harmless conversations with recruiters on social media before they are drawn into the network.

“This is the first phase of the recruitment process, and it would be important to stop them before the Bhatti network makes the next move,” the official also added.

The second phase of the recruitment is a more dangerous one as this involves completely indoctrinating the youth. This is where the propaganda and the actual task are introduced, and hence the phase is extremely dangerous, the official also noted.

Source: IANS

The post Friend request to terror trap: Agencies warn of ISI’s new social media recruitment tactic appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, July 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The electoral process in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has come under intense scrutiny, with widespread allegations that the Pakistan military is attempting to influence and manipulate the polls.

The military has long been accused of shaping political outcomes in PoK, and many residents believe this election will be no different, expecting continued interference in the democratic process.

An official said there was little doubt that the military would seek to influence the outcome, as it would prefer a compliant government in PoK after the recent wave of protests that exposed and embarrassed the country's security establishment.

The official said the military would prefer the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to retain power in PoK and would likely try to engineer its victory, as it is comfortable working with the party. The PML-N leads Pakistan's federal government, and its leadership has often been accused of acting at the military's behest.

The Awami Action Committee (AAC), which has been spearheading protests in PoK for more than two months, has called for a boycott of the elections. It has dismissed the entire electoral process as a sham and accused the powerful military of manipulating political outcomes not only in PoK but across Pakistan.

The Opposition has questioned the credibility of the electoral process in PoK, despite the administration's assertion that all necessary measures have been put in place to ensure the elections are conducted independently and fairly.

The AAC, which has been demanding basic infrastructure and development for PoK, has asked the people to stay away from the elections. They say that the polls will be rigged and hence there is no meaning in voting.

The AAC has also described the electoral process as a predetermined exercise with a pre-decided outcome. Ahead of polling, the authorities have banned political rallies and public gatherings, citing security concerns. They maintain that the restrictions are necessary to ensure the voting process is conducted peacefully and without disruption.

Pakistan observers say the first phase of the elections will be crucial, as it is expected to set the tone for the rest of the polling process. They believe voter turnout will be a key indicator of public confidence in the electoral system. A low turnout, they argue, would suggest that many people have lost faith in the process.

“A large majority of the people of PoK have stood in solidarity with the AAC during the protests. In fact, the protests this time around have clearly shown that nearly 90 per cent of the people of this region are fed up with the establishment,” experts point out.

The first phase of polling in PoK is being held on Monday, with more than 1.4 million registered voters eligible to cast their ballots. Voting is taking place across 13 Assembly constituencies in the districts of Bhimber, Mirpur and Kotli. More than 2,500 polling stations have been set up for the exercise.

The PoK government has appealed to voters to participate in large numbers and has declared a public holiday on polling day. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) are among the major parties in the fray. Around 300 candidates are contesting the 13 seats going to the polls in the first phase of the elections.

Of the 300 candidates, 135 are battling from Kotli, which has six seats. In Mirpur and Bhimber, there are 750,000 voters, who will decide the outcome of seven seats.

An official claimed that the electoral process in PoK is merely an eyewash, claiming that the outcome has already been decided by the Pakistan military.

The military under Field Marshal Asim Munir has been instrumental in ensuring that the government of Pakistan does not yield to the demands being made by the people of PoK. The army would like to have complete control over the political landscape of PoK so that it can crush any future protests by might, the official said.

Source: IANS

The post PoK polls begin amid allegations of Pakistan military interference, rigging appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, July 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan has directed the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) to carry out a series of major terror attacks in Punjab in an attempt to revive the Khalistan movement in the state, according to investigative agencies. In response, the Punjab Police have launched a massive crackdown on BKI operatives across the state.

Investigations have also revealed that funds are allegedly being channelled from Pakistan to support efforts aimed at reviving the Khalistan movement in Punjab, officials said.

An official said the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) is in the process of setting up modules across Punjab and recruiting young people to strengthen its network. "There is a strong focus on youth from rural areas. The BKI is trying to exploit their financial hardship by luring them with money to join the outfit," the official said.

An Intelligence Bureau official said the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) has adopted a modus operandi similar to that of Shahzad Bhatti to target and recruit youth through social media. According to the official, Pakistan-based BKI handlers are closely monitoring social media platforms, identifying young users who are active online and reaching out to them with inducements to join the outfit.

Investigators said the BKI has found it increasingly difficult to radicalise young people through ideology, as many do not identify with or support the Khalistan movement. As a result, recruitment based on ideological appeal has yielded limited success.

However, officials said the outfit has had relatively greater success by offering financial incentives to prospective recruits, particularly those facing economic hardship.

An official said that apart from recruitment, the major concern as of now is that the ISI has instructed the BKI to carry out major attacks in Punjab.

Intelligence agencies have for several months warned that attempts to carry out major terror attacks in Punjab could intensify as the state approaches elections. Officials believe such attacks are intended to create unrest and destabilise the security situation.

The threat became evident on Sunday when the Punjab Police busted a major BKI module, uncovering what investigators described as part of the outfit's broader conspiracy to revive militant activities in the state.

Following the arrest of an alleged BKI operative in Jalandhar, the police recovered a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) from him. The IED weighed nearly 1.3 kg, and this was enough to carry out a massive explosion, the police said.

Another official said that the BKI is desperate as past attempts to revive the Khalistan movement in Punjab have failed.

"The terror group is pursuing multiple strategies to revive militancy in Punjab. It plans to carry out a mix of small and large-scale attacks across the state. Smaller strikes, such as grenade attacks at different locations, are intended to sustain an atmosphere of fear while also stretching and distracting law enforcement agencies," the official said.

Officials say that the grenade attacks are only meant to create panic among the people and confuse the police.

“The intention is to keep the law enforcement agencies busy with smaller attacks and then use this diversionary tactic to carry out a big attack in the state,” officials say.

An official said that this is a crucial year for Punjab. With countries such as Canada cracking down on Khalistani elements, the ISI has become desperate.

Earlier, Khalistani operatives based out of Punjab played a key role in directing and coordinating activities. However, officials said this has become increasingly difficult following the improvement in India-Canada ties and the resulting crackdown on extremist networks. As a result, Pakistan's spy agency stepped up pressure on the BKI to intensify its activities and carry out major attacks in Punjab.

Officials said the Punjab Police and central intelligence agencies remain on high alert, but cautioned that the threat persists.

The BKI is under pressure to demonstrate its operational capability, and that desperation increases the risk of a major terror strike or other serious act of violence in the state, an official said.

Source: IANS

The post Punjab on high alert as ISI orders BKI to launch major terror strikes appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, July 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) The terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag was the first major strike since the Pahalgam attack last year that left 26 tourists dead. Following the Pahalgam massacre, security forces had largely kept terror groups on the defensive, foiling several attempts to carry out fresh attacks.

However, the killing of head constable Ashiq Hussain Qureshi in Anantnag has raised fresh concerns over attempts to revive militancy in the Valley. Security and intelligence agencies have since intensified operations, leaving no stone unturned to ensure that terror groups do not regain a foothold in Jammu and Kashmir.

Qureshi (45) was deployed on the Amarnath Yatra security duty when he was killed in the July 22 attack claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF).

Officials said the subsequent crackdown is crucial as intelligence inputs indicate that an ecosystem aimed at reviving both terrorism and separatism was gradually taking shape in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to officials, the network comprised former terrorists, overground workers (OGWs), separatist elements and stone pelters, who were allegedly working to rebuild the terror infrastructure in the Valley.

While there had been a major lull in terror activities, the Inter Services Intelligence-backed elements were quietly rebuilding their networks. “The idea was to silently rebuild while also carrying out smaller attacks in the Valley,” officials say.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the major concern for the agencies is the attempt to revive separatism in the Valley. "This is a bigger threat than a single terror attack. Separatism changes the narrative, fuels violence and eventually leads to stone pelting, which the Valley witnessed frequently in the past," the official said.

However, when one looks at the investigations and crackdown that is being carried out post the Anantnag attack, it becomes clear that the scale at which these elements were working to revive terror and separatism in the Valley was huge.

An official said that the agencies have detained over 2,500 persons across Kashmir. The primary regions where these crackdowns took place were in Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian and Anantnag. From these districts, the agencies have picked up 700 persons. In Srinagar alone, around 700 persons have been rounded up, while in Ganderbal, Budgam, Baramulla and Sopore the numbers stood at 100, 200, 178 and 70 respectively.

Another official said that all these elements had been lying low and now it is clear that this was a well-planned strategy. They chose to stay off the radar and decided that they would hit when the time is right.

“However, behind the scenes, most of these persons worked silently, and the aim was a complete revival of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir,” the official also said.

Officials say that post the Pahalgam attack, several such arrests had been made from various parts of the Union Territory. A big part of the system had been dismantled. However, this remains a continuous process and new systems keep cropping up every few months.

The official clarified that not everyone detained was directly involved in terror activities or the alleged revival of separatist networks. Many were being questioned to help investigators gather more information and identify additional suspects.

While dismantling the OGW network remains a key focus of the investigation, security agencies are also prioritising action against separatist elements. Officials said these individuals play a crucial role in influencing and radicalising young people by spreading anti-India narratives.

“ISI has been making sustained efforts to revive separatism in Jammu and Kashmir, viewing it as a key component of its strategy in the region. Separatist operatives are funded to influence and instigate local youth, helping create an environment that can sustain militant activities,” the officials said.

The prime motive is to create an anti-India mindset among the youth and eventually divert them to various terror groups.

Officials said Pakistan's ISI has been aggressively trying to recruit local youth as part of a broader strategy to build a home-grown terror network in Jammu and Kashmir. They alleged that these recruitment efforts are aimed at strengthening TRF, which they described as a proxy of the Lashkar-e-Taiba that projects itself as an indigenous militant outfit.

According to officials, TRF's strategy is to maximise local recruitment so that attacks in Jammu and Kashmir can be portrayed as being carried out by home-grown militants rather than Pakistan-backed terror groups. They said this is intended to mask cross-border involvement while lending a local character to acts of terrorism.

Source: IANS

The post Anantnag attack exposes covert attempt to revive terror, separatism in Kashmir appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, July 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Shahzad Bhatti network, tasked by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) with recruiting Indian youth for a range of anti-India activities, has concentrated much of its efforts in Uttar Pradesh.

Although investigations into the network have extended to Delhi and Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh remains Bhatti's primary area of operation, officials said. Of the 20 people arrested so far in the case, nine are from the state.

Earlier this week, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested 29-year-old Sharon Ahmad, a Class VII dropout, for his alleged role in the network. Investigators said he was promised financial rewards to collect sensitive information and was also tasked with recruiting and radicalising young people through social media.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that it has been found in recent weeks that the Bhatti network and its bandwagon of recruiters have been focusing mainly on Uttar Pradesh.

The network aims to create an army of youth on social media which would in turn recruit more people. Further, it wants a network in the state which would undertake various tasks such as targeted killings, surveillance and online radicalisation.

The official said that the Bhatti network has targeted UP’s western region with good reason. "There is high digital vulnerability and the region is strategic due to its geographical proximity to national targets," the official said.

While setting up the UP module, the Bhatti syndicate has considered multiple factors. There is a clear pattern when it comes to recruitment, with head-hunters exploiting the massive youth demographic and also the expansion of the smartphone network in the region.

Another official said that the syndicate has been studying social media extensively. They have found many youth who are vulnerable, and these persons have been targeted with provocative and extremist content.

"The target audience is in the age group of 25 to 30," the official said.

Another factor that the Bhatti network has exploited is that in this region of Uttar Pradesh, there are existing criminal networks who are ready to help. During the recruitment in UP, it has been found that those who join the network are not immediately assigned major roles. The job assigned to them is to record local infrastructure and map public facilities.

Recording such videos does not draw the attention of the security agencies. Over a period, these persons would be assigned bigger tasks, officials say.

Investigators said Bhatti has also exploited the economic vulnerability of many recruits. According to officials, members of the network were willing to carry out assigned tasks for as little as Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000, highlighting how financial distress was used to facilitate recruitment.

While the assignments and payments may appear insignificant, officials said the network's long-term objectives are far more serious. Videos of local infrastructure and the mapping of public facilities are allegedly intended to support the planning and execution of arms and ammunition smuggling operations, laying the groundwork for future anti-India activities.

The Bhatti network has focused much of its recruitment drive in Uttar Pradesh on the districts of Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Ghaziabad and Noida. Officials said these areas were chosen because of their proximity to the national capital and their strong transport links, which make movement and coordination easier for operatives.

Investigators also found that the Uttar Pradesh module was tasked with gathering detailed information about the railway network, including infrastructure and other sensitive operational details, as part of the syndicate's broader objectives.

They have been tasked with collecting information relating to railway signal systems. This is clearly aimed at disrupting operations in Delhi and the neighbouring areas, officials say.

Source: IANS

The post UP emerges as ISI’s main recruitment ground for Shahzad Bhatti terror network appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, July 24 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Resistance Front (TRF) appears to be attempting a comeback in Jammu and Kashmir after largely disappearing from the spotlight following the Pahalgam terror attack in April last year.

Following the gunning down of a Jammu and Kashmir police head constable in Kashmir's Anantnag on Wednesday, the TRF, a proxy of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on social media.

Intelligence agencies say that while the Anantnag attack is still under investigation, the TRF's claim of responsibility appears to be a test of its ability to reassert its presence. Officials believe Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which has been trying to revive a home-grown proxy in Jammu and Kashmir, sees the return of the TRF as strategically important.

Following Operation Sindoor, security across Jammu and Kashmir was significantly tightened, leading to a sharp decline in terror incidents and a return of relative peace in the Union Territory. Enhanced border surveillance and sustained counter-terror operations have made it increasingly difficult for Pakistan-backed groups to carry out attacks or push infiltrators across the Line of Control, leaving terror outfits operating from Pakistan under mounting pressure.

An Intelligence Bureau official said these developments had left Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) increasingly desperate. The agency first attempted to revive the Hizbul Mujahideen in Jammu and Kashmir, but those efforts failed to gain traction.

The ISI also began building a new network of overground workers (OWGs), as many of the existing operatives had come under the security agencies' radar and had criminal records with the police. "Efforts are also underway to establish an all-women OWG network," the official said.

In the given circumstances for the ISI, TRF remains its best bet for home-grown operations in J&K. An official said that the latest attack in Anantnag must be taken very seriously. “It could be used to revive the terror group, which had gone largely silent post the Pahalgam attack and subsequent Operation Sindoor,” the official said.

According to the official, the TRF's social media post claiming responsibility for the attack on the police constable is intended to serve as a recruitment tool, with local youth in Jammu and Kashmir being the primary target. The outfit is also seeking to gauge the response to both the attack and its public claim of responsibility, in an apparent attempt to assess its ability to regain influence and attract fresh recruits.

Another official said that the TRF would attempt something similar in J&K soon. The idea now appears to be to carry out smaller attacks, and then, as it gains the desired traction, it would aim for the bigger strikes.

Officials say that the TRF would currently focus on smaller attacks and its main emphasis would be on recruitment. “Currently it does not have either the traction or desired strength locally to carry out a big attack in Jammu and Kashmir,” the official also added.

For years, Pakistan has sought to establish a home-grown terror outfit in J&K. The strategy was initially aimed at creating plausible deniability by portraying attacks in the Valley as being carried out by local militants rather than Pakistan-backed groups.

Officials say the need for such a proxy has become even more critical after the Pahalgam terror attack, following which India adopted a new security doctrine under which any act of terrorism is treated not merely as cross-border terrorism but as an act of war.

"This shift makes it even more important for the ISI to cultivate a home-grown outfit comprising only local operatives," an official said.

In the days to come, TRF would double its efforts to revive and regroup. The agencies warn of smaller attacks and a renewed push for local recruitment.

On Wednesday, head constable Ashiq Hussain, who was deployed for the Amarnath Yatra security duties, was shot at by terrorists near Lal Chowk in Anantnag. He was immediately taken to the Government Medical College Hospital in Anantnag, but the doctors declared him brought dead on arrival.

Source: IANS

The post Anantnag cop murder signals TRF’s attempt to regain ground in Jammu and Kashmir appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, July 24 (SocialNews.XYZ) As protests by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) continue across the country over the NEET-UG paper leak issue, intelligence agencies have sounded an alert over a possible large-scale disinformation campaign aimed at exploiting the unrest.

According to the agencies, hostile elements may use the volatile situation to circulate fake and misleading content on social media in an attempt to provoke violence and deepen public unrest. The warning follows the detection of several fabricated and misleading videos being widely shared online.

Some videos circulating online depict uniformed personnel making political remarks, but intelligence agencies suspect they are misleading or fabricated.

An Intelligence Bureau official said the circulation of such videos was on expected lines, with anti-social elements attempting to exploit the situation and incite violence. The official added that security agencies have begun identifying and flagging manipulated posts and fabricated content circulating on social media.

Another official said that swift action against such posts is the need of the hour. "Such content cannot be allowed to circulate for long. The longer it remains on social media, the greater the damage it can cause," the official said.

Officials also say that there are plenty of actors who are trying to take advantage of the situation. "Their objective is to flood social media with deepfake and AI-generated videos falsely presented as messages from police or Army personnel," the official said.

The broader objective, according to intelligence agencies, is to erode public confidence in key state institutions through a sustained disinformation campaign. Officials warned that the Indian Army is likely to be the primary target of such efforts.

The citizens have immense trust in the military forces, and hence they would be the target of such a disinformation campaign, officials warn.

The same pattern was witnessed when India carried out Operation Sindoor to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack last year. Many social media handles backed by the Pakistani spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, ran propaganda campaigns against the Indian armed forces.

Fake videos suggested that the Indian armed forces suffered huge losses during the operation. These handles intended to demoralise the armed forces and ensure that the people cast aspersions on the military.

The Indian security agencies do not rule out the role of foreign actors in this propaganda and disinformation campaign. There have always been attempts to undermine and defame the Indian Army.

An official said the country's armed forces enjoy the trust and confidence of people across India, making them a prime target for disinformation campaigns. According to the official, repeated attempts have been made over the past several months to erode that trust. With the protests continuing, security agencies fear such campaigns could intensify in the coming days.

So far, since the start of the protests, officials have identified nearly 20 such video posts showing army personnel criticising the government on the issue. These videos are under the investigation of the security agencies now.

Investigators are struggling to identify those featured in the videos as they contain no name tags, insignia or other identifying features that could help establish their identity.

Officials warned that more attempts to circulate such fabricated videos are expected in the coming days. They have also noticed a pattern in which misleading videos are uploaded, widely shared for a few hours, and then swiftly deleted.

"This appears to be a deliberate tactic to make tracing the source more difficult. But even if such videos remain online for only a few hours, they can spread false narratives and cause significant damage," an official said.

Source: IANS

The post Intelligence agencies warn of deepfake campaign targeting Army amid CJP protests appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, July 23 (SocialNews.XYZ) In recent months, Pakistan's military establishment has come under increasing criticism from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F). Its chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has openly questioned Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir's handling of both national security and governance, accusing him of incompetence in addressing the country's mounting challenges.

The army has been successful in putting down dissent when it arrested Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chief and former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan.

Officials say that the rise of the Jamaat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (F) (JUI-F) has become a headache for Asim Munir. However, Munir, after being severely criticised for the stance that he took against Imran Khan, has resorted to a fresh strategy to put down Rehman, officials say.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the army does not want to use force or tweak the legal system to fight against the JUI (F). Munir does not want the battle to look too obvious as he cannot afford any more criticism for now. The official said that the army is encouraging the Lashkar-e-Taiba’s political outfit Milli Muslim League (MML) to take on Rehman’s party.

To the outside world, the military seeks to portray the rivalry between the JUI-F and the MML as a purely political contest. However, according to these claims, the reality is expected to be far more violent, with the MML allegedly drawing on the operational network and resources of the Lashkar-e-Taiba to carry out targeted killings of JUI-F leaders.

The aim is to wage a silent behind-the-scenes battle aimed at driving fear with the hope that Rehman would tone down its rhetoric. “This plan by the army also exposes the faultiness that have grown amidst the terror groups post Operation Sindoor,” another official said.

The Jaish-e-Mohammad, in particular, would take this plan very badly. The outfit has been politically aligned with the JUI (F) for long. The official said that both the Jaish-e-Mohammed and JUI (F) adhere to the Sunni Deobandi branch of Islam.

The JUI (F) has always played the role of a political interlocutor for the Jaish-e-Mohammed as the outfit cannot contest elections owing to the ban on it.

Pakistan observers say that this new plot by the army may have its share of success, but it would be only temporary in nature. Both the Jaish-e-Mohammed and JUI (F) maintain historic ties with the Afghan Taliban. Both shared similar regional objectives and have demanded an end to foreign intervention in Afghanistan.

Ties between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have deteriorated considerably in recent years. Pakistan had even declared war against the Taliban recently, following which ties soured even further. The experts say that the plan to get the Lashkar-e-Taiba to battle against the JUI (F) will have far-reaching implications for the Pakistani security apparatus. Not only will this anger the Jaish-e-Mohammed, but the army would even earn the wrath of the Afghan Taliban and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

“The TTP has inflicted severe damage on the Pakistani security apparatus and even has the upper hand in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). This newly drawn plan of Munir’s will only worsen things for the security mechanism in KP as the TTP is bound to get more aggressive,” experts say.

Officials say that Munir has taken a significant gamble. While he is said to be fully aware of the potential repercussions of his actions, they believe his growing desperation is evident. Since Operation Sindoor, during which Pakistan suffered a major setback, he has reportedly been unable to persuade the Jaish-e-Mohammed to re-emerge and resume an active role.

The Jaish-e-Mohammed’s trust, especially when it comes to the army, had eroded severely post Operation Sindoor. When the situation is such for the army in Pakistan, this latest plan by Munir to curb dissent yet again is only showing signs of backfiring very badly, officials point out.

Source: IANS

The post Asim Munir’s move against JUI-F risks uniting militants against Pak army appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, July 23 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Guwahati and Imphal zonal units of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) have stepped up operations against narcotics cartels operating out of Myanmar.

India is battling narcotics smuggling on multiple fronts, with drug cartels operating out of Myanmar emerging as a major security concern. While the Guwahati and Imphal zonal units of the NCB have made several major seizures in 2025 and 2026, enforcement agencies have observed a shift in the smuggling methods and operational patterns adopted by these networks.

As law enforcement agencies tighten the noose around drug cartels operating between Myanmar and India, the traditional routes used to smuggle narcotics have begun to change.

An official said the cartels primarily smuggle heroin and methamphetamine into India. "Earlier, when surveillance and scrutiny were less stringent, traffickers used conventional routes and operated with relative ease. However, they have now shifted to dense forests and riverine stretches to evade detection," the official said.

While enforcement agencies are working to dismantle these smuggling routes, the task remains challenging because of the difficult terrain along the India-Myanmar border. According to officials, traffickers typically move consignments under the cover of darkness, making detection far more difficult. They also exploit adverse weather conditions, including heavy rain, knowing that surveillance and movement by security personnel are often affected during such periods, an official said.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the supply chain is a complex one. Multiple layers are involved, which makes detection and investigation tricky. These Myanmar-based cartels have their supply chains leading to Assam and Manipur.

After the drugs originate from Myanmar, they get passed on to the cross-border couriers. “These traffickers are assisted by the transport coordinators, following which it reaches the local facilitators, who then get in touch with the receivers of the consignment, who then supply it into the market,” the IB official said.

Further, there is another chain which involves the finances. Those who handle the illicit finances are random people who are not usually under the radar of any agency. Their job is to collect the money from the consignment receivers and then route it back to the cartels using several illicit channels.

“As compared to the narcotic smuggling that one witnesses along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab, this one is a much more complex one,” said an official.

In Punjab, Pakistan-based smugglers now rely largely on drones to drop contraband across the border, reflecting a more technology-driven method of trafficking. In contrast, drug cartels operating out of Myanmar continue to depend primarily on human couriers and traditional smuggling networks, with comparatively limited use of technology.

Another official said that the use of such complex terrains and networks makes the job of the agencies much harder. Multiple layers need to be monitored, and since it is a well-oiled mechanism, it would take some time before a complete crackdown takes place, the official also explained.

The recent arrest of Nengzatuan, alias Tuanpi, a resident of Haichin in Myanmar's Chin State, has given a significant boost to the NCB’s operations. Wanted in multiple narcotics cases, Tuanpi was arrested in Manipur. Investigators believe his interrogation will provide valuable insights into the logistics network used by Myanmar-based drug cartels and help agencies dismantle their supply chain.

The arrested person is not a small-time operative, and he was one of the main international suppliers, who was operating out of Chin State. His questioning is crucial, and the details he would provide to the NCB will help the agency break down the supply chains from Myanmar into India better.

An official said Tuanpi is expected to provide crucial information on the smuggling routes and logistics network used by the cartels. The intelligence gathered from his interrogation is likely to strengthen efforts to curb the flow of narcotics into India and also shed light on how drugs trafficked into the country are subsequently routed to international markets, the official added.

Source: IANS

The post NCB crackdown forces Myanmar drug cartels into forests and river routes appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, July 21 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti network has been using social media extensively to recruit more youth, with Uttar Pradesh emerging as its primary focus. Recent investigations have revealed that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-backed network has been scouting for youth in the state by promising them money and power.

Officials say the Bhatti network is attempting to build an army of social media operatives to carry out a massive disinformation campaign against the Indian state. The network seeks to recruit Indian youth who can amplify propaganda and spread disinformation across social media platforms.

An Intelligence Bureau official said the Bhatti syndicate is seeking to exploit vulnerable youth and recruit them into its network. "This network operates behind the scenes and is tasked with exploiting vulnerabilities and sensitive issues in India with the clear intention of inciting violence," the official said.

The network has been told to focus on youth-centric issues and amplify them by running a disinformation campaign, officials say.

According to officials, Bhatti runs several India-centric campaigns through specialised modules tasked with targeted killings, gathering sensitive information and carrying out terror attacks. However, the network being built in Uttar Pradesh is considered particularly dangerous as it is dedicated solely to waging a large-scale disinformation campaign against the Indian state.

The Bhatti network carefully selects the youth it seeks to recruit. According to officials, it targets those who are not only in need of money but are also looking for recognition and acceptance in society. Such individuals are considered particularly vulnerable and are often drawn to the promise of influence and power. To attract them, the network has created social media handles carrying messages such as, "You are a brave shooter" and "None are more powerful than you."

Such handles tend to attract disgruntled youth into joining such modules. These youth are offered a paltry sum of Rs 5,000 to be part of the module. They are promised power as well as arms and ammunition to be part of this module. Once recruited, the youth are told to continuously post messages against the Indian State on social media. They are also instructed to scout for more youth locally so that they can be recruited into the module.

Officials say that the worrying trend is that the Bhatti network is targeting juveniles and teenagers to be part of the network. Such modules in Uttar Pradesh are reportedly being formed in Mathura, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur and Meerut. The recruitments that are taking place are under the lens of the Indian security agencies.

Out here, the Bhatti network has targeted youth from multiple walks of life. There are some who are tech-savvy, while others are good at using social media. There are also a good number of youths who are disgruntled and need money and also approval from society.

“These are the most vulnerable lot,” an official said, adding, “and also can become the most dangerous elements in the module.”

An official said that these social media-driven modules are aimed at tapping into issues that are facing the country. They are fed with false information about India and then instructed to post the same on social media at regular intervals.

On one hand, the Bhatti syndicate wants to run a massive disinformation campaign, while on the other hand, it wants these modules to operate through a decentralised structure. They would be self-sustaining modules that would eventually operate on their own with no instructions from Pakistan.

The scale at which this module is being built has prompted the police to strengthen its outreach programme, which involves local communities and families.

An official said that raising parental awareness is the key to preventing the youth from falling into the trap and being part of such modules. The vulnerable youth who are the targets of the Bhatti syndicate are being promised easy money and sensitive responsibilities.

“Such youth do not understand the broader implications of such offers and end up becoming the foot soldiers for the ISI-backed forces,” an official said.

They said that the Bhatti syndicate is one of the most unique challenges that the Indian agencies have had to deal with. It is the scale at which he operates that is worrisome.

Despite multiple busts, the syndicate continues to recruit youth across the country and is showing no signs of stopping. To battle this syndicate, the agencies would need to ramp up Intelligence gathering, social media scanning, and also carry out a massive outreach programme to advise the youth against joining such networks, an official said.

Source: IANS

The post ISI-backed Bhatti network targets UP youth for anti-India social media campaign appeared first on Social News XYZ.