ISLAMABAD: Intelligence agencies have exposed an alleged plan by India to conduct a “false flag” operation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) involving Pakistani prisoners to create tensions along the border, security sources said on Monday.
According to the sources, the development came after intelligence agencies decoded secret communications indicating a plan to use Pakistani prisoners for a staged incident that could be blamed on Pakistan.
They said the plan involved releasing Pakistani prisoners and moving them towards border areas in IIOJK, where they could be used to orchestrate an incident.
The objective of the alleged move was to attribute a major action to Pakistan and justify escalation along the Pakistan-India border, potentially engaging Pakistan’s armed forces along the eastern front.
The sources warned that such a development could further heighten tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Pakistan and India engaged in a brief war in May last year following an attack on tourists in IIOJK. New Delhi had blamed Pakistan for the incident — a charge Islamabad denied, calling for a neutral investigation.
The situation escalated after India carried out missile strikes inside Pakistan, resulting in civilian and security personnel casualties. In response, Pakistan launched retaliatory actions, targeting multiple Indian military sites.
The conflict eventually ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.
