Fisherman Ejaz Mallah was arrested by Pakistani authorities after being forced by Indian intelligence services to spy for them.
Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar speaks alongside Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry during a press conference at the Press Information Department on Saturday. Photo: PID
A Pakistani fisherman allegedly recruited by Indian intelligence services to carry out espionage activities in the country has been arrested, Information Minister Atta Tarar said on Saturday, asserting that the move had foiled another attempt by New Delhi following the failure of “Operation Sindoor”.
Accompanied by Senator Talal Chaudhry, Minister of State for Interior, the Information Minister was addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Saturday. He said India has not been able to accept its defeat on the battlefield and is now trying to launch another operation by planting populations and infiltrating.
“After the failure of Operation Sindoor and the embarrassing defeat in the four-day war, the Indian state resorted to disinformation campaigns because it could not prove its mettle on the battlefield and diplomatic arena. That is why it resorted to propaganda war,” the minister said.
Pakistani intelligence agencies have exposed India’s plan to use Pakistani fisherman Ejaz Mallah for anti-state purposes. Indian agencies have tasked him with purchasing uniforms and other items for the security forces. Acting quickly on its suspicious activities, Pakistani intelligence services… pic.twitter.com/NNqlsOTNDs
– Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) November 1, 2025
He said a Pakistani fisherman named Ejaz Mallah was apprehended by Pakistani law enforcement 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. “He was forced by Indian intelligence services to perform tasks in exchange for compensation, under threat of imprisonment if he refused.”
According to the minister, Mallah was eventually released and instructed to procure Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Army and Sindh Rangers uniforms with specific name tags and accessories as part of a larger plan by Indian intelligence to launch propaganda against Pakistan.
“He was also asked to obtain Pakistani money, cigarettes, matchboxes, lighters and SIM cards,” Tarar said, adding that Mallah collected these items and was apprehended by law enforcement while on his way to India.
“This is an example of India’s attempts to malign Pakistan for its inability to accept Pakistan’s successes,” Tarar said. He said investigations were ongoing and Pakistani security agencies remained on alert.
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The minister added that this activity could be linked to Indian Navy exercises in the Taj or Bhrad region, suggesting that it could be part of a larger conspiracy to link such operations with these exercises.
He said India had tried to malign Pakistan internationally, alleging that military exercises along the Gujarat-Kutch border were being used as a cover for “suspicious activities”. He further claimed that Indian media was actively spreading disinformation to fuel anti-Pakistan sentiments.
In a recorded statement played during the press conference, Mallah said he belonged to Thatta district and was arrested while fishing in August 2025. He claimed that Indian authorities had promised him immediate release and monetary benefits if he agreed to cooperate. After returning to Pakistan and sending photographs of the acquired items to an Indian officer identified as Ashok Kumar, he was arrested while trying to return, officials said.
Speaking to the press, Senator Chaudhry said the foiled attempt showed India’s continuing 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 the previous Pahalgam incidents.
“Even in Pahalgam, India claimed that a Chinese satellite phone had been recovered. First they claimed that someone was from Pakistan, then they implicated China to make it seem like they were challenging China or standing with it,” Chaudhry said, describing this 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 are you going to do propaganda? First, they claimed that Lahore was destroyed, then the Karachi port was burnt, and once they claimed that the fifth floor of Serena Hotel in Kabul was under the control of the ISI. We showed photos proving that only two floors existed. This is how their propaganda works,” Chaudhry said.
He stressed that Pakistani soil is not used against any country and warned against attempts to exploit it for anti-Pakistan purposes.
“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 purposes against us. We will continue to face such attempts everywhere and denounce them,” he added.
