India has reportedly launched a new clandestine military campaign, 'Operation Mahadev', aimed at masking the failure of its earlier plan, Operation Sindoor, by orchestrating a wave of fake encounters involving illegally detained Pakistanis and Kashmiris, security sources revealed.
According to details, the sinister plan allegedly involves declaring prisoners already in Indian custody as cross-border infiltrators or terrorists from Pakistan before executing them in staged operations. The ultimate aim, observers say, is to suppress the freedom movement in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and regain political credibility domestically for the Modi-led BJP government.
ISPR DG raises alarm
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has sounded the alarm over the fresh wave of human rights violations. In a recent statement, he said: "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. These individuals are already in detention, yet Indian media portrays them as newly captured or neutralized terrorists."
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Fake encounters and media manipulation
Following recent incidents, including a false flag operation in Pahalgam, Indian forces reportedly began staging encounters. Victims’ bodies are then presented with planted weapons and fake confessions aired through Indian media channels, suggesting cross-border terrorism.
Security officials have confirmed that 723 Pakistani nationals are currently illegally imprisoned in Indian jails, including 56 individuals allegedly held in the custody of Indian intelligence agencies. These detainees, sources say, are now at risk of being used as scapegoats in fabricated encounters.
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"The Indian military has long been notorious for such tactics, particularly in Kashmir," one official said, referencing past cases such as that of Ziaul Mustafa, a detainee who was later killed in what was widely believed to be a staged operation.
International concerns over human rights
The exposure of Operation Mahadev has reignited global concerns over India's human rights record, especially in Kashmir. Human rights organizations have repeatedly accused Indian forces of violating international laws through arbitrary detentions, custodial torture, and extrajudicial killings.
Earlier on Monday, the Indian Army claimed that it had killed three men after an intense firefight in Indian-occupied Kashmir, according to a post by the army on X. The men were suspected to be behind the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, two Indian TV news channels said. Reuters could not immediately verify the information.
