- State Minister for Interior says India’s intelligence agency tried to bribe Pakistani fisherman with Rs95,000 for espionage
- Terms move part of India’s ongoing psychological and media campaign against Islamabad
- Transactions, communication links, and fake documents found connecting Indian handlers to the plot
- Likens failed operation to ‘Operation Sandoor,’ calling it another humiliation for New Delhi
ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Saturday disclosed that India’s intelligence agency had attempted to recruit a Pakistani fisherman, Ijaz Mallah, for espionage by bribing him with Rs95,000—a plot Pakistan has termed yet another failed attempt in New Delhi’s “information war” against Islamabad.
Addressing a joint press conference with Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Chaudhry said the foiled recruitment attempt was part of “India’s new propaganda operation, which has now been fully exposed.”
He said Mallah, apprehended by the Indian Coast Guard in September, was coerced into anti-Pakistan propaganda after being offered money. “This is part of a continuous psychological and informational war being waged by Indian intelligence agencies against Pakistan,” he stated, adding that the country’s security institutions remain fully alert to such efforts.
Chaudhry praised Pakistan’s media and security institutions for “ensuring the triumph of truth” and countering “yellow propaganda” with responsibility and professionalism.
Drawing parallels between this episode and previous failed attempts, the minister said the operation resembled the botched “Operation Sandoor,” describing both as India’s repeated efforts to “erase the humiliation of past failures.”
“After failing in Operation Sandoor, and even on the sports fields, India continues to create false narratives — from fabricated operations to fake encounters. But every such attempt has been exposed,” he asserted.
The minister further revealed that investigators had recovered proof of money transfers and communication between Indian handlers and Mallah, along with fake media identities, uniforms, and documents used to disguise the operation under credible-sounding fronts.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s principled stance, Chaudhry said: “Pakistan respects the sovereignty of other nations and ensures its soil is not used against anyone. We expect the same in return.”
He urged the international community and independent media to examine the evidence, calling the incident “a desperate bid to craft a false narrative ahead of India’s elections and amid mounting domestic tensions.”
“Just like in the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, the truth is once again before the world — India has been caught red-handed,” Chaudhry concluded.
