ISLAMABAD, Nov 01 (APP): Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Saturday revealed that India’s intelligence agency had attempted to recruit a Pakistani fisherman, Ijaz Mallah, for espionage activities by offering him money.
Addressing a joint press conference in Islamabad alongside Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Chaudhry said the incident was “India’s new propaganda operation, which has now been fully exposed.”
He said Mallah had been apprehended by the Indian Coast Guard in September and was subsequently coerced and bribed with Rs 95,000 to participate in anti-Pakistan propaganda. “This is part of a continuous psychological and informational war being waged by Indian intelligence agencies against Pakistan,” he said, adding that the country’s security institutions remain vigilant to counter such attempts.
Chaudhry credited Pakistan’s media and security institutions for “ensuring the triumph of truth in this information war,” and praised their responsible reporting in the face of what he termed “yellow propaganda.”
He drew parallels between the failed “Operation Sandoor” and the current propaganda campaign, describing them as repeated attempts by India to “erase the humiliation of past failures.”
“After failing in Operation Sandoor, and even in sports arenas, efforts have continued to create false narratives from fabricated operations to fake encounters. But every such attempt has been exposed,” he said.
The minister further shared that evidence of the transactions and communication between Indian handlers and Mallah had been recovered. He said fake media identities, uniforms, and documents had also been used to disguise the operation under credible-sounding names.
Chaudhry reiterated Pakistan’s stance as a responsible state, saying, “Pakistan respects the sovereignty of other nations and ensures its soil is not used against anyone. We expect the same in return.”
He called on the international community and independent media to examine the evidence and see the operation for what it was “a desperate bid to build a false narrative ahead of elections and amid growing political tensions in India.”
“Just like in the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, the truth is once again before the world. India has been caught red-handed,” Chaudhry concluded.