New Delhi, April 10 – There is growing concern about the number of individuals of Pakistani origin who have settled abroad and are associated with the Islamic State. According to Indian agencies, these individuals pose a significant risk to the United States, Canada, and Europe.
An official from the Intelligence Bureau stated that these individuals are trying to harm Indian interests abroad. The Islamic State has been targeting individuals of Pakistani origin with the intention of recruiting them and asking them to target Indian interests abroad.
The official said that this is similar to what the ISI expects from Khalistani elements. The ISI seeks to have Indian interests targeted by both Khalistani elements and individuals inspired by the Islamic State, the official also said.
These elements are also targeting Hindu temples, Indian diplomatic missions, and locations associated with the Jewish-Indian community. This signals a major plot by the ISI that goes beyond India. It is also looking for similar recruits in several other countries, with the intention of harming India internationally.
The ISI is devising several strategies to target India. In recent months, investigations by multiple agencies have revealed that the ISI was looking to set up homegrown modules. It has intensified its propaganda narrative so that young people tend to self-recruit and run these modules.
The Faridabad module was one such example of this plan. In addition to trying to target India by setting up homegrown terror modules, it has also decided to pursue a plan that goes beyond India.
The recent confession of a man of Pakistani origin in Canada is proof that the ISI has activated its international plans. Muhammad Shahzzeb Khan, a man of Pakistani origin, confessed before a US federal court to planning an attack on a Jewish center in Brooklyn.
Based in Canada, he was arrested in September 2024 near the US-Canada border while trying to illegally enter the United States with the help of a human smuggler. He now faces the possibility of life imprisonment after pleading guilty to charges related to terrorism.
He said that he was planning to strike at a Jewish center on October 7, the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.
Another official said that with such plans in place, the Indian missions need to remain on high alert. The ISI has been using lone actors to carry out such attacks, the official added.
While such an attack would harm India’s interests, it also creates fear and panic among the Indian diaspora.
The Khalistanis have done this in the US, the UK, and Canada, and now the ISI wants the Islamic State terrorists to do the same.
While the Khalistan threat is immense, the plan that the ISI wants to undertake through these lone actors is extremely dangerous.
Another official said that such attacks are aimed at causing massive destruction. It is also meant to send a signal to India that its citizens and interests are not safe anywhere.
For the ISI, such attacks are of utmost importance, following the embarrassment Pakistan faced after Operation Sindoor. This operation carried out by the Indian Armed Forces to avenge the Pahalgam attack led to the destruction of massive terror infrastructure both in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan. In a bid to avenge this and save face, the ISI has come up with multiple plans to hurt India both within and abroad.