ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies have arrested a fisherman working for Indian intelligence agencies to carry out espionage activities inside the country, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced on Saturday.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, Tarar said the suspect, identified as Ijaz Mallah, was detained after being under surveillance by Pakistani intelligence agencies. He added that Mallah had been coerced into spying for India after being detained by the Indian Coast Guard earlier this year.
According to the minister, Mallah, who hails from the Shah Bandar area of Sindh’s Thatta district, was arrested by Indian authorities in September while fishing in international waters. “He was taken to an undisclosed location and forced to undertake tasks for the Indian intelligence agency,” Tarar said, adding that the fisherman had been threatened with imprisonment of up to three years if he refused to cooperate.
The minister said Mallah was promised money and gifts in exchange for his compliance. Upon release, the fisherman was allegedly instructed to procure uniforms of the Pakistan Army, Navy, and Sindh Rangers, along with local SIM cards, cigarette packets, lighters, and Pakistani currency notes, and deliver them to Indian handlers.
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 security forces’ uniforms and other items. Acting swiftly on his suspicious activities, Pakistani intelligence… pic.twitter.com/NNqlsOTNDs
— Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) November 1, 2025Tarar said the suspect’s movements were closely monitored by Pakistani intelligence agencies, who tracked his attempts to purchase military uniforms and other items. “He was apprehended while trying to return to India with the collected materials,” the minister stated.
A video confession of Mallah was also released, in which he admitted to accepting India’s offer due to fear of imprisonment and temptation of monetary reward. In the recorded statement, he claimed that an Indian intelligence officer named Ashok Kumar had directed him to collect three Zong SIMs and corresponding phone bills, alongside items commonly found in Pakistan, such as matchboxes and cigarettes.
Minister Tarar described the operation as a major intelligence success, stating that it demonstrated Pakistan’s capability to uncover cross-border plots aimed at maligning the country. He suggested that the episode could be linked to naval exercises currently being conducted by the Indian Navy near Gujarat and Kutch, indicating a possible attempt to coordinate disinformation with military activity.
“This is part of a broader campaign of propaganda and subversion against Pakistan,” Tarar asserted. “India has been unsettled by Pakistan’s growing prestige and diplomatic success internationally, leading to desperate measures of this nature.”
He further claimed that Indian agencies, following the exposure of their agent Kulbhushan Yadav in 2016, were now resorting to using civilians such as fishermen to carry out espionage. “After Yadav, they can no longer risk sending commissioned officers in disguise. Now they turn to ordinary citizens to execute their agenda,” Tarar said.
Chaudhry added that the recovered materials included military-style uniforms with specific name tags and fittings. He said the discovery of these items confirmed that the assignment was intended to create a false narrative implicating Pakistan in fabricated incidents.
Tarar concluded by saying that Pakistan’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies remained “fully alert and vigilant” in identifying and dismantling hostile networks. “This case proves our agencies’ unmatched diligence and readiness to counter any conspiracy,” he said.