By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Authorities say they have dismantled a spy network linked to India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), arresting several suspects in a sweeping crackdown that has heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
The operation, hailed by officials as a significant strike against espionage and sabotage, has yielded what law enforcement calls compelling evidence of Indian intelligence operations on Pakistani soil.
The Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) spearheaded the effort, code-named “Operation Yalghar,” apprehending six alleged RAW operatives in Toba Tek Singh district. The arrests were triggered by intercepted audio recordings featuring two purported RAW officers, identified as Major Rawindra Rathor and Inspector Singh, issuing orders to local handlers.
The recordings reveal instructions to scout critical locations, orchestrate an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack on a mosque to maximize casualties, and carry out assassinations, Dawn newspaper reported. Suspects were also directed to retrieve explosives from an Indian Border Security Force (BSF) outpost and target Bahawalpur Railway Station, with payments funneled through agents in Dubai, according to the audio.
In a parallel operation, the Bahawalpur CTD detained additional suspects tied to the network, including Zulfiqar, a Dubai-based financial coordinator from Dera Ghazi Khan, and three locals from Pakpattan: Azam (alias Jajji), Manzoor (alias Qari), and Amjad. Authorities allege the group received funds via Dubai and explosives from India’s BSF to strike a mosque and a railway station. “The potential devastation would have been immense,” Punjab Additional Inspector General (Operations) Shahzada Sultan said at a briefing in the Central Police Office.
Police showcased seized evidence, including maps of key sites, detonators, and high-grade explosives. Sultan pointed to the audio intercepts: “Forensic analysis confirms orders from two alleged RAW officers, offering clear proof of foreign orchestration.” The recordings outline plans to hit “sensitive installations” across Pakistan, bolstering the government’s claims of Indian interference.
In a related development, Karachi police arrested four fishermen on Wednesday, accusing them of spying for RAW. Officials say the group photographed military sites for Indian handlers, receiving cash, liquor, and weapons in exchange.
Shoaib Mehmood Memon, a senior officer with Karachi’s Special Investigation Unit, said the arrests followed a joint probe with intelligence agencies. “RAW is exploiting cross-border fishing routes to recruit vulnerable individuals,” Memon said. The fishermen, paid up to Rs150,000 per mission, allegedly reported to an Indian contact known as Colonel Ranjit. Authorities recovered hand grenades, firearms, and a vehicle, filing charges under counterterrorism laws.
The CTD issued a stern statement late Wednesday: “We will safeguard Pakistan’s sovereignty. Those assisting foreign efforts to destabilize us will face justice.” Officials underscored the growing use of proxy networks in regional conflicts.
The crackdown fuels Pakistan’s persistent allegations of Indian meddling, a decades-long source of friction. Coastal regions like Sindh, with porous maritime boundaries, often draw fishermen into such disputes. Pakistan accuses RAW of stoking espionage and instability, claims India rejects while countering that Pakistan harbors militants, a charge Islamabad denies. The 2016 arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian national Pakistan branded a RAW agent and sentenced to death for alleged spying, continues to loom large.
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