Fresh revelations have uncovered a new covert campaign by India, code-named Operation Mahadev. Security sources claim this secret plan was launched to hide the failure of the earlier Operation Sindoor. Under this strategy, Indian forces allegedly aim to stage a wave of fake encounters involving illegally detained Pakistanis and Kashmiris.
Details suggest the Operation Mahadev plot revolves around declaring prisoners already in Indian custody as cross-border infiltrators or militants. They are reportedly executed in fabricated operations and then showcased as fresh captures. Observers believe the goal is to crush the ongoing freedom movement in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) while rebuilding domestic credibility for the Modi-led BJP government.
ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has raised alarms over these grave human rights violations. “We have credible reports that hundreds of Pakistani and Kashmiri citizens held in Indian jails are being falsely portrayed as infiltrators and killed in fake encounters,” he said. He emphasized that these detainees are already in custody, yet Indian media projects them as newly neutralized militants. According to him, Operation Mahadev forms part of a disinformation campaign crafted to justify oppression in Kashmir and fuel anti-Pakistan narratives within India.
Recent incidents include a false flag operation in Pahalgam, where Indian troops allegedly staged encounters. Weapons are planted on the victims, and coerced confessions are circulated by Indian media to strengthen the fabricated terrorism narrative.
Security officials confirm that 723 Pakistani citizens remain illegally imprisoned in Indian jails. Among them, 56 individuals are believed to be in the custody of Indian intelligence agencies. These detainees are said to be most vulnerable under Operation Mahadev, potentially used as scapegoats in staged killings.
One senior official pointed to India’s history of such tactics, citing the case of Ziaul Mustafa, a detainee later killed in what was widely regarded as a staged encounter. “The Indian military has long relied on these methods, particularly in Kashmir,” he added.
The exposure of Operation Mahadev has renewed international outrage over India’s human rights record. Rights organizations have repeatedly accused Indian forces of arbitrary detention, custodial torture, and extrajudicial executions, especially in IIOJK.
Earlier this week, the Indian Army claimed in a post on X that three men were killed in a fierce clash in Indian-occupied Kashmir. Indian media alleged that the men were behind the April 22 Pahalgam attack, though Reuters stated that the claims could not be independently verified.
