A Pakistani fisherman allegedly recruited by Indian intelligence to carry out espionage activities in the country has been arrested, Information Minister Atta Tarar said on Saturday, claiming the move foiled another attempt by New Delhi following the failure of ‘Operation Sindoor’.
Accompanied by Minister of State for Interior Senator Talal Chaudhry, the information minister was addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Saturday. He said, India has been unable to accept its defeat on the battlefield and now trying to initiate another operation through planting people and infiltration.
“Following the failure of ‘Operation Sindoor’ and the embarrassing defeat in the four-day war, the Indian state has resorted to misinformation campaigns because they could not prove their mettle in the battlefield and in the diplomatic arena – hence they resorted to propaganda warfare,” said the minister.
He said a Pakistani fisherman named Ejaz Mallah was apprehended by Pakistani law enforcement agency after being coerced by Indian intelligence to work for them.
“He was arrested by the Indian Coast Guard in September while fishing and taken to an undisclosed location,” Tarar added. “He was coerced by the Indian intelligence agency to perform tasks in exchange for compensation, with threats of imprisonment if he refused.”
According to the minister, Mallah was eventually released and tasked with procuring Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Army, and Sindh Rangers uniforms with specific name tags and fittings as part of a larger Indian intelligence plan to launch propaganda against Pakistan.
“He was also asked to obtain Pakistani currency, cigarettes, matchboxes, lighters, and SIM cards,” Tarar said, adding that Mallah collected these items and was apprehended by law enforcement agencies while en route to India.
“This is an example of India’s attempts to malign Pakistan due to their inability to accept Pakistan’s successes,” Tarar asserted. He said investigations were underway and that Pakistani security agencies remained on high alert.
The minister added that the activity might be linked to the Indian Navy’s exercises in the Taj or Bhrad area, suggesting it could be part of a wider conspiracy to connect such operations with those drills.
He said India had been attempting to malign Pakistan internationally, alleging that military exercises along the Gujarat-Kutch border were being used as cover for ‘suspicious activities’. He further claimed that Indian media was actively circulating disinformation to fuel anti-Pakistan sentiments.
In a recorded statement aired during the press conference, Mallah said he belonged to Thatta district and was detained while fishing in August 2025. He claimed Indian officials promised him immediate release and monetary benefits if he agreed to cooperate. After returning to Pakistan and sending photographs of the acquired items to an Indian officer identified as Ashok Kumar, he was arrested while attempting to cross back, according to the officials.
Addressing the presser, Senator Chaudhry said the foiled attempt showed India’s ongoing frustration. “Sometimes they talk about launching Operation Sindoor-II, sometimes Indian cricketers refuse to shake hands with Pakistani players or avoid receiving trophies,” he said.
PML-N senator highlighted India’s attempts to involve third countries in fabricated narratives against Pakistan, recalling previous incidents in Pahalgam.
“Even in Pahalgam, India claimed a Chinese satellite phone was recovered. First, they claimed, someone came from Pakistan, then they implicated China to create the impression that they are challenging China or standing alongside it,” Chaudhry said, describing it as part of India’s ongoing propaganda efforts.
Chaudhry lashed out at what he called India’s repeated propaganda campaigns against Pakistan, citing past fabricated claims.
“I want to ask India, how many times will you engage in propaganda? First, they claimed Lahore was destroyed, then that Karachi Port was set on fire, and once they alleged the fifth floor of Kabul’s Serena Hotel was under ISI control. We showed pictures proving only two floors existed. This is how their propaganda works,” Chaudhry said.
He emphasized that Pakistan’s soil is not used against any country and warned against attempts to exploit it for anti-Pakistan activities.
“We can say with full responsibility that Pakistan’s territory is never used against anyone. We do not allow proxies or agents like Kulbhushan to exploit our land for propaganda against us. We will continue to confront such attempts everywhere and expose them,” he added.