India exploits ‘Pakistan threat’ narrative for mass arrests, profiling
Security allegations increasingly used to suppress dissent, divert scrutiny
New Delhi : India’s repeated invocation of the “Pakistan-sponsored” threat to justify raids, arrests, cases under draconian laws and alleged encounters has raised serious concerns over the securitisation of political dissent and the profiling of minorities, particularly Indian Muslims.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Indian agencies have repeatedly described suspects as members of “Pakistani modules” or linked to “cross-border handlers”, while a large proportion of those arrested under such allegations are Indian citizens rather than Pakistanis.
Critics say the narrative is increasingly being used as a political tool to divert public attention from governance failures, minority concerns, corruption and growing political opposition.
Available figures indicate that more than 2,450 people have been arrested in India since around 2000 in cases allegedly linked to mujahid organizations. However, arrest alone does not establish guilt, and allegations require independent judicial scrutiny and credible evidence.
The latest major crackdown came in August 2026, when Indian authorities claimed more than 200 arrests and around 253 detentions across 14 states in connection with the same allegation. Authorities also claimed to have recovered explosives, grenades, firearms and ammunition. Yet questions remain over whether independently verifiable forensic, digital and financial evidence establishing specific cross-border links has been publicly demonstrated in each case.
The repeated use of terms such as “Pakistan-sponsored”, “anti-state” and “cross-border handler” has also drawn concern over the tendency to portray legitimate dissent and minority grievances as security threats. Such labelling, critics say, can create an atmosphere in which citizens are presumed guilty before evidence is tested in court.
The credibility of New Delhi’s narrative has also faced international scrutiny over cases involving alleged Indian-linked activities abroad. Indian national and former Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav was arrested in Pakistan in 2016 and his case reached the International Court of Justice. In the United States, former Indian intelligence official Vikash Yadav was charged in 2024 in an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting a US-based Sikh activist, while his alleged co-defendant Nikhil Gupta pleaded guilty in 2026.
Canada has likewise publicly raised allegations concerning Indian government agents, violence, organised crime and clandestine intelligence activities targeting members of the South Asian community. The designation of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity by Canada in 2025 further intensified scrutiny of alleged India-linked transnational criminal networks.
These cases raise questions about an apparent double standard in New Delhi’s approach to alleged foreign interference. While India routinely attributes domestic security problems to Pakistan, serious allegations of India-linked transnational activity have emerged in several Western countries.
The growing debate therefore raises a fundamental question: if every domestic crisis is attributed to Pakistan, who will hold the Indian government accountable for its own governance failures, political repression and growing public discontent?
Ultimately, the credibility of India’s security narrative must be judged not by the number of “Pakistani modules” announced by authorities, but by the number of cases in which cross-border links are established through admissible forensic, digital and financial evidence and upheld through independent judicial proceedings.
