Indian agencies warn of ISI push to expand espionage, disinformation networks

NEW DELHI: Indian Intelligence agencies have warned that the ISI would continue to try and expand its espionage network in India. While many such cases were busted last year, the agencies say that the Pakistan spy agency has been working relentlessly to expand the network.

In addition to this, Pakistan also plans to run a massive disinformation campaign against India. Campaigns would be around spreading false narratives about the Indian armed forces.

Further, the ISI also plans on roping in people as well some organizations to carry out protests while questioning policies of the government, an official said.

This is part of the larger game plan of the ISI to make violence and terror as home grown as possible, so that Pakistan would have the deniability factor.

An official says running a false narrative, instigating protests and creating deeper espionage networks is part of a larger plan and this also includes setting up of home-grown terror modules, like the one that was busted in Faridabad. Pakistan is not immediately looking to sending its terrorists. Post 'Operation Sindoor', most of their terror networks are down. Further infiltrations are hard to execute due to heavy security. In addition to its India plans, the ISI is also giving a lot of emphasis to Bangladesh, where it wants to set up launch pads to hit the northeastern states, another official said.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that among all the plans that the ISI has in mind, the two most dangerous are the setting up of an espionage network and running a disinformation campaign.

Pakistan is looking to engineer something on the lines of Bangladesh and Nepal, where protests erupt across the country where a regime change would be demanded. The campaign would look to defame the Indian armed forces, so that the trust factor goes down. They want the armed forces to look weak in the eyes of the Indian people. The ISI would also look to infiltrate every protest that is taking place, so that it spreads far and wide while also turning violent. (IANS)

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