ISLAMABAD: India has initiated a covert military operation titled "Operation Mahadev" as part of efforts to mask its recent failures during the conflict with Pakistan, according to security sources on Monday.
The operation, launched by the Indian military, seeks to revive tactics from previous false flag operations, including fake encounters, to frame illegally detained Pakistanis as cross-border terrorists. This move follows the failure of the earlier campaign, "Operation Sindoor," and is seen as an attempt to salvage the credibility of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
Sources indicated that under Operation Mahadev, Indian authorities are planning to stage fake encounters, with detainees already held in Indian jails set to be used as pawns in these staged operations.
The strategy is aimed at portraying these detainees as terrorists who crossed the border illegally, in line with India’s disinformation campaign to suppress the growing freedom movement in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
The sources revealed that Indian forces resumed fake operations after the false flag operation in Pahalgam, with two Kashmiris reportedly martyred on April 24 for allegedly crossing the border. Indian media outlets have already been provided with fabricated evidence, including images and videos of the bodies along with planted weapons to support these false claims.
Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has previously disclosed that 723 Pakistanis are illegally detained in Indian jails, with 56 individuals being forcibly held by Indian intelligence agencies.
The DG ISPR had previously warned that these detained individuals could be coerced into making anti-Pakistan statements or falsely presented as killed terrorists to escalate India’s disinformation efforts.
The new operation comes after India’s embarrassing loss in May, following Pakistan’s successful counter-operation, "Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos," in retaliation for India’s Operation Sindoor. In this 87-hour conflict, Pakistan downed six Indian fighter jets, including three Rafale jets, and several drones. The war ended on May 10, with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.
This new covert operation is seen as another attempt by India to distort the truth and shift attention away from its military failures and the escalating human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir.
