Indian spy agency recruited Thatta fisherman for espionage: Tarar

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Atta Tarar said on Saturday that India has not been able to get over its defeat following the failure of Operation Sindoor.

He said India has launched a misinformation and disinformation campaign, with its media actively spreading false narratives.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, Tarar said that the Indian Coast Guard had arrested a Pakistani fisherman, Ejaz Mallah, while he was fishing at sea.

He said that Indian spy persuaded Mallah to work for them and sent him to Pakistan with specific tasks. However, Pakistan’s security agencies later arrested the fisherman who had been working for the Indian agency.

Tarar said Mallah had been instructed to buy uniforms of the Pakistan Navy, army and Rangers, along with other sensitive items. When he began purchasing the uniforms, Pakistani agencies started monitoring him.

According to the minister, all the items — including SIM cards, matchboxes, lighters and other objects — were recovered from Mallah at the time of his arrest.

He said that investigations revealed the Indian intelligence agency had exploited the fisherman through financial incentives and coercion, and that Mallah confessed to his crime after being detained.

Tarar said that India was unsettled by Pakistan’s victory in “Marka-e-Haq” and its diplomatic successes, which it could not tolerate. He said India had also started “malicious activities” under the guise of military exercises in Gujarat and Kutch.

He reiterated that after the failure of Operation Sindoor, India has turned to a disinformation campaign, with its entire media busy promoting false narratives against Pakistan.

Tarar said there might be a conspiracy behind the items Mallah was instructed to bring, possibly linked to the ongoing military drills in Gujarat and Kutch, as these were intended for propaganda and subversive activities against Pakistan.

Ejaz Mallah’s confessional statement

The minister shared the video statement of Ejaz Mallah, son of Riaz Mallah, a resident of Thatta district and a fisherman by profession, who was at sea in August 2025 when the Indian Coast Guard arrested him and other fishermen. He said that Indians told them that the offence for which they were detained could take two to three years before release.

“The Indian officers told me that if I agreed to work for them, I could be released immediately. They also offered money and rewards. Out of fear of imprisonment and tempted by their offer, I agreed,” Mallah said.

He added, “They released me and instructed me to bring Navy, Rangers and army uniforms; three Zong SIMs; three mobile shop bills; Pakistani matchboxes and cigarette packets; lighters; and old currency notes of Rs100 and Rs50. After that, I was released.”

“Upon returning to Pakistan, I collected all these items and sent pictures to intelligence officer Ashok Kumar. When I went towards the river in October carrying the items, Pakistani authorities arrested me,” he said.

Talal Chaudhry

Talal Chaudhry said that following the failure of Operation Sindoor, India had been taking various actions — sometimes talking about “Operation Sindoor II” claiming the first was incomplete, sometimes refusing to shake hands with players, and sometimes avoiding receiving trophies to cover up its humiliation.

He said the latest arrest showed that India was again attempting similar moves.

“Earlier, it was a military operation; now it’s a propaganda operation — both have been badly exposed,” he said.