ISLAMABAD: Indian security forces have launched a covert military campaign dubbed “Operation Mahadev” involving “fake encounters and unlawful detentions” to mask their recent military setbacks in conflict with Pakistan, security sources said on Monday.
The recently launched Operation Mahadev is reportedly being used by Indian authorities to build a false narrative of counter-terrorism success by staging encounters involving forcibly detained Pakistani citizens.
Following the failure of the “Pahalgam false flag operation”, Indian forces began conducting “fake encounters”, security sources said.
On April 24, two civilians from Azad Jammu and Kashmir—Muhammad Farooq and Muhammad Din—were reportedly martyred in such an encounter after inadvertently crossing the border.
According to security sources, under this new operation, individuals currently imprisoned in various Indian jails could be killed and falsely portrayed as militants who infiltrated from Pakistan.
These concerns were also expressed during press briefings held by the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, on April 29 and 30.
The military spokesperson revealed that 723 Pakistani nationals are being held illegally in Indian jails, and highlighted that 56 individuals are in the custody of Indian intelligence agencies without any legal justification.
These revelations have raised serious questions about the conduct of Indian security forces and the potential human rights violations occurring under the guise of counter-terrorism efforts.
Indian media is reportedly being provided in advance with visuals—videos and images—of the victims’ bodies alongside planted weapons to portray them as armed infiltrators.
These fake encounters are part of a broader plot to suppress the growing freedom movement in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and to restore the lost credibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
India suffered a major setback in May during a brief but intense conflict with Pakistan, which launched Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos in response to India’s earlier Operation Sindoor.
Over the course of the 87-hour confrontation, Pakistani forces reportedly shot down six Indian fighter jets—including three advanced Rafale aircraft—and destroyed numerous drones.
The conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours concluded on May 10, following a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.
According to security experts, the Indian military has long been notorious for orchestrating fake encounters in occupied Kashmir.
