Indian intelligence agencies have issued a sharp warning that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is actively plotting an attack during the Amarnath Yatra, scheduled to commence on 3 July, as Islamabad seeks to divert domestic attention from a deepening crisis across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The alert, issued on 30 June, follows intercepts picked up by Indian agencies indicating that the ISI is trying to activate sleeper modules inside Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.

Why Pakistan Needs a Diversion

All three restive regions — KP, Balochistan, and PoK — are in turmoil, and developments in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have proved particularly damaging for the Pakistan establishment. Protesters in PoK have sustained their agitation despite attempts by Pakistani security forces to suppress dissent, and their calls for international attention have amplified the embarrassment for Islamabad.

Within Pakistan itself, according to officials, a growing number of citizens are questioning how the establishment is treating the people of PoK. The problem, officials note, is that the crisis is no longer localised — it has reached the international community's radar.

Pakistan's desperation, officials say, was already visible when it carried out strikes inside Afghanistan that reportedly claimed 35 lives — a move Indian intelligence views as a diversionary tactic rather than a counter-terror operation.

ISI's Alleged Plan: Target the Yatra

According to an Intelligence Bureau official, the ISI is planning major operations in Jammu and Kashmir, with a large-scale strike on Indian soil seen internally as an effective tool to shift public focus away from the PoK unrest. Intelligence intercepts suggest the agency is desperately trying to re-establish contact with a handful of terrorists believed to be hiding in forest areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

Security officials say Pakistan is attempting to direct these operatives to carry out an attack on the scale of the Pahalgam attack. The ISI has also been working to revive dormant modules in Punjab, though officials indicate that a strike in Jammu and Kashmir remains the preferred target — a high-visibility attack there would, in the ISI's calculation, automatically redirect Pakistani public attention from PoK.

Security Measures for the Yatra

Indian security agencies have responded with what officials describe as unprecedented preparedness along the Amarnath Yatra route. Police have reinforced anti-terror networks, and agencies have deployed AI-enabled cameras and digital scanning systems to monitor the pilgrimage corridor. Officials say no stone is being left unturned to ensure the safety of pilgrims.

Notably, Operation Sindoor is said to have exposed weaknesses in the Pakistan military, and the simultaneous crises in KP, Balochistan, and PoK have further eroded the establishment's credibility — factors that, according to officials, are driving the ISI's urgency.

Ongoing Anti-Terror Operation in Rajouri

The intelligence alert coincides with an active anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, which has entered its 39th day. Indian security forces are continuing combing operations in the dense forest areas of Dorimal. The prolonged operation underlines the persistent threat environment in the region even before the Yatra begins.

With the pilgrimage set to draw large numbers of devotees and global attention, security planners are treating the ISI threat assessment as a high-priority operational concern in the days ahead.