Rajasthan's border districts have emerged as a primary target for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which is reportedly coercing Indian nationals into espionage networks by leveraging the safety of their relatives living in Pakistan, intelligence officials have revealed. The strategy, increasingly concentrated in Barmer, Bikaner, and Sri Ganganagar, is designed to extract sensitive information about the Indian armed forces and border infrastructure.

How the Coercion Network Operates

According to intelligence officials, the ISI has identified Pakistan-based relatives of Indian citizens as a key vulnerability to exploit. When Indian recruits attempt to disengage from espionage activities — often after drawing the attention of Indian security agencies — the ISI reportedly turns to those relatives as leverage.

'The relatives themselves are often under pressure. For their own safety and security in Pakistan, they are forced to cooperate with the ISI and assist in influencing or recruiting their family members in India,' an Intelligence Bureau official said.

Recruits are allegedly warned that the Pakistani establishment cannot guarantee the safety of their family members if they refuse to continue their activities. Officials described this as a systematic pattern of blackmail, with families in Pakistan facing threats of harassment, social ostracism, or expulsion if they fail to comply.

Why Rajasthan Has Overtaken Jammu and Kashmir

While both Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir remain targets, investigators say the ISI's operational focus has shifted decisively toward Rajasthan in recent years. The reason, according to a senior official, is straightforward: heightened security scrutiny in Jammu and Kashmir has made operations there significantly harder to sustain.

'The emphasis on Rajasthan is greater today than on Jammu and Kashmir. Security scrutiny in Jammu and Kashmir has increased significantly, making operations there difficult. Rajasthan has, therefore, emerged as a major area of interest for the ISI,' the official said.

The border districts of Barmer, Bikaner, and Sri Ganganagar are considered strategically valuable because of their proximity to military installations and frontier infrastructure. Officials say the ISI is working to establish a larger and more organised espionage network across this belt.

The Jaisalmer Arrest: A Case Study

The pattern came into sharp relief on Friday with the arrest of Mushtaq Ali in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan, on allegations of spying for the ISI. During interrogation, Ali allegedly told investigators that his handlers had directed him to help construct an espionage network in Rajasthan and to collect information from border areas, with particular focus on military installations and activities.

Ali reportedly described how relatives in Pakistan were being used as recruitment tools and recounted the pressure and threats that compelled family members to participate. He also allegedly stated that although he had initially sought to withdraw from the network due to growing risks, he resumed contact after relatives in Pakistan urged him to continue.

The Broader Pattern and What It Signals

This is not an isolated tactic. Officials note that not all recruits participate willingly — several have reportedly declined initial recruitment approaches, while others agreed and later tried to disengage. It is at precisely this withdrawal stage, investigators say, that the family-pressure mechanism becomes most critical to the ISI's retention strategy.

A senior official said Pakistan is willing to deploy every available method to strengthen its espionage presence in India. 'The intention is to gather as much information as possible about the Indian armed forces,' the official said. Security agencies are now treating the border districts of Rajasthan as a high-priority surveillance zone, with the Jaisalmer arrest expected to yield further leads into the network's structure and reach.