New Delhi, April 21, 2026
India is keeping a close tab on the activities of ISI-backed pressure groups abroad who are trying to drum up fake narratives and propaganda.
There are several pressure groups abroad who are on the payrolls of Pakistan and are specifically tasked to show India in a poor light.
An intelligence official said that there appears to be a churn which is aimed at stepping up pressure against India by driving a false narrative. The ISI is pumping in funds to activate these groups so that they can speak at various fora abroad and portray India in a poor light, the official also added.
The focus is largely on Jammu and Kashmir, and issues such as Article 370, among others, would be raked up once again. The idea is to show that New Delhi is the aggressor in Jammu and Kashmir. This is a textbook ISI operation and has been going on for several years.
Such activity had, however, slowed down in recent years as there were no takers.
The abrogation of Article 370, contrary to what critics had said, proved to be a boon for the people of J&K. Following this decision, tourism boomed in Jammu and Kashmir. More importantly, it led to the death of separatism and terror-related incidents came down drastically. The ISI did engineer the Pahalgam attack, which was meant to hurt the tourism industry in Jammu and Kashmir. While it did have an impact on the industry, the effects were short-lived.
Another official said that Pakistan is also pumping in money so that short films and documentaries can be produced. The short films and documentaries would attempt to show the Indian government in a poor light and how, under the Narendra Modi government, human rights are being violated in Jammu and Kashmir.
This is a deep-rooted conspiracy that is in the works, and the immediate focus of these elements would be on Jammu and Kashmir.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that the idea is to produce such documentaries and short films and then showcase them in multiple countries. They would look to build on this narrative and then have conversations around it. The official also said that the ISI-backed groups would also look to conduct seminars and discourses, both in India and abroad. They are trying to internationalise the Kashmir issue and get leaders across the globe to speak about it.
Another official said that these elements would also be looking to circulate such content in Jammu and Kashmir. This is aimed at brainwashing the youth and telling them about a situation that is non-existent. The official said that such a propaganda drive becomes important for the ISI in the event of the death of separatism in Jammu and Kashmir. It is important for Pakistan to reintroduce this mindset, and it feels that in case it succeeds, the approach of the youth would change.
On the other hand, the Indian security agencies and the administration are confident that it would not have much of an impact on the youth of Jammu and Kashmir. They seem to have moved past that phase and are looking at doing something more positive.
It is the international arena that is a cause of concern, as the ISI is known to be running such drives to build up a false narrative against India. The ISI has pushed organisations such as the World Kashmir Awareness (WKA) and Kashmiri American Council (KAC) to drive such propaganda. Both these organisations are ISI-backed and were specifically created to run an anti-India narrative internationally.
These groups, run by the likes of Ghulam Nabi Mir and Ghulam Nabi Fai, have been involved in international lobbying where the Kashmir issue is concerned. Fai had organised seminars which were clearly aimed at projecting Kashmir from Pakistan’s perspective. Officials say that they noticed a drop in such activity between 2020 and 2024.
However, now, Pakistan wants to once again internationalise the Kashmir issue and hence has been pumping in funds to reactivate such pressure groups. Money is being pumped into organising seminars, producing short films and documentaries. The main theme of this entire project is to suggest that the Indian government is violating human rights in Jammu and Kashmir, and hence the Union Territory should be separated from the country, the official also added.(Agency)
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