Indian intelligence agencies have sounded a fresh alert warning that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is actively directing its proxy outfits to mount large-scale psychological operations across Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, with the aim of stoking fear, undermining law enforcement, and disrupting public order. The warning, issued on 10 August, identifies Lashkar-e-Tayiba (LeT) and the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) as the primary vehicles for these campaigns.

The Threat Landscape

According to an Intelligence Bureau (IB) official, both outfits are coordinating parallel campaigns in their respective target states. Proxies are being used to disseminate calls urging local youth to target migrant workers, government staff, and police personnel. The messaging is described by officials as louder and more aggressive than previous rounds of such incitement.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the LeT is operating through two proxy banners — The Resistance Front (TRF) and, more recently, the United Liberation Council (ULC). Officials noted that TRF had previously carried out targeted killings of migrant workers and police personnel in the region. Two recent incidents — in which a Head Constable was targeted and two migrants were killed — are believed to be consistent with this pattern.

Punjab Under a Separate But Coordinated Threat

In Punjab, the KZF and Babbar Khalsa International are reportedly leveraging Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and other politically affiliated diaspora outfits to amplify these messages. Officials say the broader objective in Punjab is to drive a wedge between police personnel and the government — encouraging officers to either defect or be paralysed by fear of targeted violence.

'No one likes to live under a constant atmosphere of threats and panic,' an official said, explaining why even unsuccessful psyops serve the strategic purpose of these groups.

Shift to Smaller Arms and Deniable Networks

Intelligence officials also flagged a notable tactical shift in arms smuggling patterns. Rather than pushing larger weapons such as AK-47s — which are harder to move across the border undetected — ISI-backed networks are now primarily smuggling pistols and revolvers into both states. Once inside, these weapons are reportedly handed to gangsters or local terror cells to carry out targeted killings that can be presented as homegrown crime rather than Pakistan-directed terrorism.

'Since bigger attacks are harder to execute today, the ISI has been directing its proxies to carry out smaller, deniable acts so that these states remain on the boil,' an official explained.

The Larger Strategic Agenda

Officials believe the psyop campaign serves a dual purpose: creating domestic turbulence that keeps security agencies stretched, while simultaneously creating cover for fresh infiltration attempts in Jammu and Kashmir and a larger arms push into Punjab. The disinformation component — running alongside targeted killings — is designed to amplify panic beyond what the actual violence might otherwise generate.

Authorities say similar calls have been made in the past without success, but the renewed intensity of these efforts signals that the ISI views the current environment as an opportunity. Security agencies across both states have been placed on heightened alert.