ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar on Saturday accused India of launching a fresh campaign of terrorism and misinformation against Pakistan after its “humiliating failure” in Operation Sindoor, as he announced the arrest of a Pakistani fisherman coerced by Indian intelligence agencies to work against his country.

Addressing a joint press conference with Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, Mr Tarar said India, unable to confront Pakistan on the battlefield or at diplomatic forums, had resorted to “underhanded tactics” aimed at maligning Pakistan’s image internationally.

He said that Pakistani intelligence agencies had arrested a fisherman, Ejaz Mallah, who was detained by Indian authorities while fishing in open waters and later forced to participate in a plot to create false evidence against Pakistan. “This arrest exposes India’s latest malicious plan and proves its continuing attempts to destabilise and discredit Pakistan through deception,” the minister said.

He said Mallah was detained by the Indian Coast Guard and handed over to Indian intelligence agencies, which coerced him into carrying out espionage-related tasks. The fisherman was instructed to obtain uniforms of Pakistan Army, Navy and Rangers, as well as SIM cards, Pakistani cigarettes, currency, and receipts — items intended to be used in a staged operation linking Pakistan to subversive activities.

Says Mallah coerced by agencies into carrying out espionage-related tasks

The minister, who also showed pictures of items recovered from the fisherman, said Pakistan’s intelligence agencies placed Mallah under surveillance after noticing suspicious behaviour and later apprehended him before he could act on these instructions. “The arrest provides concrete proof of India’s covert and deceitful tactics,” Mr Tarar added.

He highlighted that not only were the said items recovered, but the man’s statement was “legally on record”. He added that the government was placing the evidence before the entire world so that India’s “nefarious designs could be exposed”.

A recorded confessional statement by Ejaz Mallah was also played for the media, in which he said that he and several other fishermen were detained by Indian authorities while at sea. Mallah claimed he was told to carry out tasks for Indian agencies and released after agreeing to comply. He said he was later arrested by Pakistani security personnel when he returned to the sea.

Mr Tarar compared the case to that of Kulbhushan Jadhav, the Indian naval officer convicted in Pakistan on espionage charges, describing the incident as “another malicious attempt by India to stage a false flag operation”. He said Pakistan’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies had once again foiled an Indian conspiracy and exposed New Delhi’s “false narrative before the world”.

“The world is well aware of India’s malicious intentions and fabricated stories,” he said, assuring the public that Pakistan’s security agencies were “on high alert and fully prepared to counter any such plots”.

The information minister further claimed that such operations were part of a recurring pattern by India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying: “The BJP government orchestrates such theatrics ahead of every election to stoke hostility and distract from its domestic failures.”

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2025