Key points
- Plan required Indian media to delay attribution of blame to ISI for 36 hours
- Premature media response allegedly exposed inconsistencies within the strategy
- Observers point to potential dissent within RAW
- Indian government reportedly investigating the leak
ISLAMABAD: A bombshell leak has revealed India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) being the mastermind behind the recent Pahalgam incident in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
At least 28 tourists were killed in an attack on tourists in Pahalgam, IIOJK, after gunmen opened fire on picnickers last month.
Only 10 minutes following the attack, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered at a police station in Pahalgam, accusing Pakistan of being behind the attack, even before opening an investigation into it.
The hasty finger-pointing raised questions about the veracity of the claims made in the FIR.
“Psy Ops and Narrative Control”
According to credible sources, the confidential documents, reportedly titled, “Psy Ops and Narrative Control”, outline in detail the operational planning of the operation meant to implicate Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Agency while manipulating domestic and international media narratives.
According to the leak, the plan required Indian media to delay attributing the blame to ISI for 36 hours to allow the manufacture of a tailored anti-Pakistan narrative.
Premature media response
However, the premature media response, which immediately blamed Pakistan, allegedly disrupted the operation and exposed inconsistencies within the strategy.
Sources suggest the document reveals that RAW itself may be under the influence of external command structures, as discrepancies between planning and execution hint at deeper internal divisions.
Observers point to potential dissent within RAW, including elements opposed to the current Hindutva-driven ideology.
The Indian government is reportedly investigating the leak, which has stunned many with its revelations.
Exploiting the attack
The document called for exploiting the attack to portray it as targeting the Indian state and non-Muslims, thus, justifying a heavy-handed response under the guise of national security.
Following the Pahalgam incident, Indian security forces arrested over 2,000 Kashmiris and carried out demolitions of several houses.
The actions were denounced locally and internationally and described as “collective punishment”.
Directives
Key directives in the leaked document included the deployment of media assets to the target location 36 to 48 hours prior to the attack.
Directives were issued to use grainy video footage to reconstruct scenes and mobilise over 200 social media accounts to spread disinformation.
Trends were suggested to be launched using topics aimed at linking the ISI and Pakistan to the attack.
The masterminds, as per the documents, sought to divert discourse from Kashmir to broader “Islamic conspiracies.”
The attack was planned to coincide with a diplomatic visit by US Vice President JD Vance.
Contingency plans
It was allegedly designed to elicit international solidarity with India.
Contingency plans also appeared in the leak, pointing to alternate operations in Shopian and strategies to limit Indian troop movements to avoid drawing the attention of neutral states such as China or intervention by the UN.
Analysts who reviewed the document claim that non-state actors such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and BNA in Balochistan were to be indirectly activated within the window of 3 to 48 hours following the Kashmir incident.
The leak further indicated that post-operation, all field operatives would be granted “black status,” effectively erasing their official identities.
“A damning indictment”
Defence experts are of the view that the Pahalgam incident fits a pattern of state-orchestrated false flag operations previously attributed to India. “This document, if authentic, is a damning indictment of Modi’s government,” one analyst said. “It shows a willingness to sacrifice civilian lives for political mileage, particularly in the run-up to key diplomatic and electoral events.”
Another expert concluded, “The hatred against Kashmiris, and the use of national tragedy to fuel political ambitions, has once again been laid bare.”
