New Delhi, March 23 – Intelligence agencies are closely monitoring certain individuals from Jammu and Kashmir who are attempting to form human rights groups in an effort to spread a false narrative against the Indian establishment. Several journalists, alleged to be on the payroll of the ISI, are also under scrutiny. These individuals are being instructed to write negative articles against the Indian security forces, an official said.
These groups are being formed so that they can present false statistics to portray the Indian armed forces as aggressors in Jammu and Kashmir. Violence has drastically decreased in Jammu and Kashmir, and there have been months with no reported incidents.
According to an Intelligence Bureau official, these groups aim to disseminate non-existent statistics and then spread a narrative against India on international platforms.
The agencies have also cautioned that these groups will also start magazines that will spread a false narrative about Jammu and Kashmir.
There has been a sudden increase in the number of online conferences involving international players. Some locals from Kashmir attend these webinars and speak negatively about the establishment. They try to portray on international platforms that the abrogation of Article 370 has led to the suppression of Kashmiri voices. They also spread a false narrative against India, claiming that human rights violations are rampant in the Union Territory.
Another official said that this campaign is a significant departure from the ISI's earlier strategy of street violence in Jammu and Kashmir. It is well known that stone pelting, which was a norm after Friday prayers every week, has stopped now.
The establishment has been able to convince the youth in Kashmir that tourism, not terrorism, is the dominant activity. This approach has proven effective, and tourism has become a vital economic pillar, contributing around 7 per cent to the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). The estimated economic value is Rs 18,550 crore. In 2024, a record 2.35 crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir, and the sector currently supports 5 lakh livelihoods.
The ISI and the Pakistan Army planned and executed the Pahalgam attack with the specific purpose of targeting the tourism industry and also trying to draw India into a war. While there was a temporary setback, officials say that the sector has bounced back.
Since 2016, the number of terror incidents has decreased dramatically. While the number of terror-related incidents has decreased, what has most irked the ISI is the decrease in the number of local recruits into terror groups. In 2019, the number of locals joining terror groups stood at 143, compared to 7 in 2024.
Another official said that hardcore terrorism in the Union Territory has hardly any takers today. Hence, the ISI has decided to invest heavily in soft terror, which involves spreading disinformation.
Officials say that while these so-called human rights groups will try to manipulate data, they will also heavily use deep fake videos and Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated content. This could include fake videos related to atrocities. Images related to these events would also be generated by these elements, the official added.
The ISI has identified several individuals for this project. Many of them have been associated with separatist groups in the past. Some have even supported outfits such as The Resistance Front, which is an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba.
These individuals have been tasked with identifying locals in every corner of Jammu and Kashmir. They will, in turn, form smaller groups and meet with people, spreading a false narrative, officials have learned. The larger aim is to take the Jammu and Kashmir issue to the international platform and portray the Indian agencies and government in a negative light, officials also say.