ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Atta Tarar said on Saturday that India has been unable to recover from its defeat following the failure of Operation Sindoor, and has since launched a wide-ranging misinformation campaign targeting Pakistan.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad alongside Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, Tarar said Indian media has been actively spreading false narratives in an attempt to malign Pakistan’s image.
He revealed that the Indian Coast Guard had arrested a Pakistani fisherman, Ejaz Mallah, while he was fishing at sea, and later coerced him into working for Indian intelligence.
“The Indian spy persuaded Mallah to work for them and sent him back to Pakistan with specific tasks,” Tarar said, adding that Pakistan’s security agencies arrested the fisherman after monitoring his suspicious activities.
According to Tarar, Mallah had been instructed to purchase uniforms of the Pakistan Navy, Army, and Rangers, along with other items including SIM cards, matchboxes, and lighters. These materials were recovered from him upon his arrest.
He said investigations confirmed that Indian intelligence operatives had exploited the fisherman through financial incentives and coercion, and that Mallah had confessed to his involvement.
Tarar accused India of being “unsettled by Pakistan’s victory in Marka-e-Haq and its diplomatic successes,” adding that India was conducting “malicious activities” under the guise of military exercises in Gujarat and Kutch.
He reiterated that after the failure of Operation Sindoor, India had turned to propaganda and psychological operations, using its media to promote fabricated stories against Pakistan.
Confessional Video of Arrested Fisherman Released
During the briefing, the Information Minister shared a video confession of Ejaz Mallah, son of Riaz Mallah, a fisherman from Thatta district, who recounted how he was detained by the Indian Coast Guard in August 2025.
“The Indian officers told me that if I agreed to work for them, I would be released immediately. They also offered money and rewards,” Mallah said in his recorded statement.
He added that the Indians instructed him to collect military uniforms, SIM cards, matchboxes, lighters, and old currency notes and deliver them to an Indian intelligence officer named Ashok Kumar.
“When I returned to Pakistan and gathered the items, I sent their pictures to Ashok Kumar. But when I went towards the river in October carrying the items, Pakistani authorities arrested me,” he confessed.
Talal Chaudhry
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said India’s recent actions reflect desperation following the failure of its operations.
He noted that after Operation Sindoor, India began making contradictory moves — “sometimes talking about launching Operation Sindoor II, sometimes refusing to shake hands with players, and sometimes avoiding trophy ceremonies to hide its embarrassment.”
“Earlier it was a military operation; now it’s a propaganda operation — both have been badly exposed,” Chaudhry remarked.
He said the arrest of the fisherman clearly showed that India continues attempts to destabilize Pakistan through subversive means and propaganda tactics.