Pakistani media outlets have claimed that India's intelligence agency, RAW (Research and Analysis Wing), was behind the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, located in Indian-administered Kashmir. The reports are based on a leaked confidential document shared via the social media platform Telegram.
The authenticity of the document has not been independently verified. According to the reports, the document included directives to present the Pahalgam attack as one targeting non-Muslim communities. It also allegedly outlined plans to use fake social media accounts to spread propaganda against Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI.
Citing multiple sources, the Pakistani media claimed that the Indian government orchestrated the attack itself as part of a false flag operation—a staged event designed to blame Pakistan. They suggest that the inconsistencies between the instructions in the document and their execution led to the failure of the operation.
The document allegedly stated that Indian media would be instructed to begin anti-Pakistan coverage 36 hours after the attack, but Indian outlets reportedly began doing so immediately, which may have compromised the plan.
Sources further suggest that RAW might have been acting under external instructions, given the contradictions in the leaked content.
Meanwhile, reports claim that the Indian government has launched an investigation into how the confidential document was leaked on social media.
Interestingly, the document notes that the operation was timed to coincide with the visit of US Vice President JD Vance to India, possibly to garner international support for counterterrorism efforts.
The April 22 attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, is the deadliest in Kashmir since the Pulwama attack in 2019. In response, India accused Pakistan of indirect involvement and suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. It also took several other diplomatic steps.
In retaliation, Pakistan suspended the Simla Agreement, closed its airspace to Indian aircraft, and halted all trade with India.
Tensions between the two countries continue to rise. The Line of Control (LoC) has seen eight consecutive nights of cross-border gunfire, and on May 1, Pakistan's military conducted a large-scale military exercise along the LoC, involving tanks, armoured vehicles, and advanced weaponry.
