India launches ‘Operation Mahadev’ to mask losses against Pakistan, intensify crackdown in IIOJK
Islamabad: In a bid to conceal its recent military setbacks against Pakistan and intensify repression in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), India has launched a covert campaign dubbed ‘Operation Mahadev.’
According to Kashmir Media Service, this new operation follows the failure of India’s previous campaign, Operation Sindoor, and involves staging fake military operations and encounters in IIOJK.
Sources indicate that Indian forces have revived discredited tactics such as orchestrating fake encounters and falsely framing illegally detained Pakistani citizens as cross-border terrorists. These fabricated operations are part of a broader strategy aimed at suppressing the intensifying freedom movement in IIOJK and attempting to restore the political credibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
Under this plan, Pakistani detainees already held in Indian jails may be executed and later falsely labeled as terrorists who infiltrated from across the border. Indian media outlets have allegedly been provided with staged visuals, including images of corpses and planted weapons, to lend credibility to these false narratives.
Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has previously revealed that 723 Pakistani nationals are illegally detained in Indian prisons, 56 of whom are held by Indian intelligence agencies without due process.
These 56 individuals were also highlighted by DG ISPR in official briefings on April 29 and 30, during which he warned that India might coerce these detainees into making anti-Pakistan statements or falsely present them as killed terrorists to reinforce its disinformation campaign.
India’s campaign comes in the aftermath of a significant defeat in May, when Pakistan responded to Operation Sindoor with Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, successfully downing six Indian fighter jets, including three Rafales, and dozens of drones. The brief but intense conflict concluded with a ceasefire agreement on May 10, brokered by the United States.
