ISI stepping up espionage, disinformation ops against India: Intelligence agencies warn

New Delhi, Jan 3 Indian Intelligence agencies have warned that the ISI would continue to try and expand its espionage network in India. While many such cases were busted last year, the agencies say that the Pakistan spy agency has been working relentlessly to expand the network.

In addition to this, Pakistan also plans to run a massive disinformation campaign against India.

Campaigns would be around spreading false narratives about the Indian armed forces.

Further, the ISI also plans on roping in people as well some organisations to carry out protests while questioning policies of the government, an official said.

This is part of the larger game plan of the ISI to make violence and terror as home grown as possible, so that Pakistan would have the deniability factor.

An official says running a false narrative, instigating protests and creating deeper espionage networks is part of a larger plan and this also includes setting up of home-grown terror modules, like the one that was busted in Faridabad.

Pakistan is not immediately looking to sending its terrorists. Post 'Operation Sindoor', most of their terror networks are down. Further infiltrations are hard to execute due to heavy security.

In addition to its India plans, the ISI is also giving a lot of emphasis to Bangladesh, where it wants to set up launch pads to hit the northeastern states, another official said.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that among all the plans that the ISI has in mind, the two most dangerous are the setting up of an espionage network and running a disinformation campaign.

Pakistan is looking to engineer something on the lines of Bangladesh and Nepal, where protests erupt across the country where a regime change would be demanded. The campaign would look to defame the Indian armed forces, so that the trust factor goes down.

They want the armed forces to look weak in the eyes of the Indian people. The ISI would also look to infiltrate every protest that is taking place, so that it spreads far and wide while also turning violent.

In the past, the ISI has done it in some measure, but now it would look to do something on a much larger scale, the agencies have learnt.

Pakistan is also looking to build a massive espionage network. Efforts to gather information especially about the armed forces have gone up multi-fold post Operation Sindoor, the Intelligence Bureau official said.

While honey-trapping would be the main tactic to build this network, the ISI is also looking for people who have ideological leanings, those who face financial hardships and ones with personal issues. These persons are easy to trap as they remain vulnerable.

The ISI is also ready to pump in a lot of money to build this network. The information about the expansion of the espionage comes in the backdrop of reports that Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir is itching for a war with India.

The war for Munir is important since he lost face in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. He wants to also use this as a tactic to divert from the major issues that Pakistan is facing.

Further, he feels that he would have the backing of the United States, if there is a military conflict with India.

These remain major challenges, explained an official, while also adding that the agencies need to remain on very high alert.

Recently the Union Home Ministry launched the National Counter Terrorism Policy. The National Investigation Agency which created a common ATS structure has sent it to the state police forces. This structure ensures that there is uniform preparation at every level.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that all director generals of police must implement it. This policy is an important one in the wake of Pakistan trying to relentlessly meddle in India’s affairs and also threaten its national security, officials say.

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