Security sources have uncovered India’s new covert military operation, dubbed “Operation Mahadev”, aimed at covering up its recent defeats against Pakistan. The plan involves reviving fake encounter tactics and presenting illegally detained Pakistanis as “cross-border terrorists.” This follows the failure of India’s earlier Operation Sindoor, which was decisively countered by Pakistan’s Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos in May.
Under Operation Mahadev, Indian forces are allegedly using Pakistani detainees—already held in Indian prisons—in fake encounters. These individuals are killed and later labeled as terrorists to fuel anti-Pakistan propaganda. The sources revealed that Indian media has been supplied with staged footage of bodies and planted weapons to support these false claims. A recent incident on April 24 saw two Kashmiris martyred after “accidentally crossing the border,” raising suspicions of another staged operation.
DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry had earlier disclosed that 723 Pakistanis are illegally detained in Indian jails, with 56 held by Indian intelligence agencies. He warned that these detainees could be forced into anti-Pakistan statements or falsely declared as “terrorists” killed in encounters. This aligns with India’s long-standing disinformation tactics to divert attention from its human rights abuses in Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK).
India faced a humiliating setback in May when Pakistan retaliated against Operation Sindoor with Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, downing six Indian jets (including 3 Rafales) and dozens of drones. The conflict ended with a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10, but India’s latest covert moves suggest it is resorting to propaganda and false flags to regain lost credibility. Pakistan remains on high alert against these provocations.