Fisherman Ejaz Mallah was arrested by Pakistani authorities after being forced by Indian intelligence to spy for them.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar speaks alongside Minister of State for Home Affairs Talal Chaudhry during a press conference at the Press Information Department on Saturday. Photo: PID
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, saying the move foiled another attempt by New Delhi following the failure of “Operation Sindoor”.
Accompanied by Minister of State for Home Affairs Senator Talal Chaudhry, the Information Minister addressed a press conference in Islamabad on Saturday. He said that India has not been able to accept its defeat on the battlefield and is now trying to start another operation by planting people and infiltrating.
“After the failure of ‘Operation Sindoor’ and the embarrassing defeat in the four-day war, the Indian state has resorted to misinformation campaigns because it could not prove its worth on the battlefield and in the diplomatic arena; that is why it resorted to propaganda war,” the minister said.
Pakistan’s intelligence agencies have exposed India’s plan to use Pakistani fisherman Ejaz Mallah for anti-state activities. Indian agencies tasked him with purchasing uniforms and other items for the security forces. Acting quickly on their suspicious activities, Pakistani intelligence… pic.twitter.com/NNqlsOTNDs
– Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) November 1, 2025
He said a Pakistani fisherman named Ejaz Mallah was detained by the Pakistani police agency after being forced 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. “The Indian intelligence agency forced him 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 tags and accessories as part of a larger plan by Indian intelligence to launch propaganda against Pakistan.
“They also asked him to obtain Pakistani currency, cigarettes, matchbooks, lighters and SIM cards,” Tarar said, adding that Mallah collected these items and was detained by law enforcement while en route to India.
“This is an example of India’s attempts to defame Pakistan due to its inability to accept Pakistan’s successes,” Tarar said. He said investigations were underway and Pakistani security agencies remained on high alert.
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The minister added that the activity could be related to Indian Navy exercises in the Taj or Bhrad area, suggesting it could be part of a broader conspiracy to connect such operations with those exercises.
He said India had been trying to defame Pakistan internationally, alleging that military exercises along the Gujarat-Kutch border were being used as cover for “suspicious activities”. He further claimed that the Indian media was actively circulating disinformation to fuel anti-Pakistan sentiments.
In a recorded statement broadcast during the press conference, Mallah said he belonged to Thatta district and was detained while fishing in August 2025. He claimed that Indian officials promised him immediate release and monetary benefits if he agreed to cooperate. After returning to Pakistan and sending photographs of the purchased items to an Indian officer identified as Ashok Kumar, he was arrested while attempting to cross back, according to officials.
Addressing the press, Senator Chaudhry said the thwarted attempt demonstrated India’s continued 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.
The PML-N senator highlighted India’s attempts to involve third countries in fabricated narratives against Pakistan, recalling earlier incidents in Pahalgam.
“Even in Pahalgam, India claimed that a Chinese satellite phone was recovered. First, they claimed that someone came from Pakistan, then they implicated China to create the impression that they are challenging China or supporting 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 fabricated claims in the past.
“I want to ask India: how many times will it engage in propaganda? First, they claimed that Lahore was destroyed, then that Karachi port was burnt down and once they claimed that the fifth floor of Kabul’s Serena hotel was under ISI control. We showed photographs proving that only two floors existed. This is how their propaganda works,” Chaudhry said.
He stressed 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.
