Pakistan detains 10 alleged RAW agents

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have arrested 10 people accused of working for India’s intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), in coordinated operations across Punjab and Sindh, officials announced on Wednesday.

The Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has detained six Pakistani nationals who allegedly worked as facilitators for RAW during a targeted operation dubbed ‘Operation Yalghar’. According to Punjab Additional Inspector General Shahzada Sultan, the arrests were made in Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar, where the suspects were allegedly planning attacks on mosques and railway stations.

“We have arrested a RAW facilitator from Bahawalpur and two Indian spies from Bahawalnagar,” Sultan told a press conference in Lahore. He described the operation as a major success in combating foreign-sponsored terrorism, saying audio recordings of two Indian intelligence officers have been recovered as evidence.

Investigators identified the Indian officers as Major Ravindra and Inspector Singh, who allegedly provided the IEDs to facilitators near the Indo-Pak border. The CTD said the planned attacks were to be financed through cryptocurrency and branchless banking, indicating a sophisticated financial network.

Punjab CTD officials also linked recent terror incidents in Mianwali and Dera Ghazi Khan to funding from Afghanistan, areas where RAW is allegedly supporting elements of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). However, the officials clarified that no direct link was found between the network based in Punjab and a separate RAW cell dismantled in Karachi earlier in the day.

“All those arrested in Operation Yalghar are Pakistani nationals,” Sultan stressed, stressing that Pakistan intends to raise the issue of India’s alleged involvement in terrorism at international forums.

Security agencies and the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) in Karachi have arrested four more suspects working for RAW. According to SSP Shoaib Memon, the suspects were in direct contact with Indian Army Colonel Ranjit and were allegedly providing sensitive information, including photographs of military installations and geo-tagged locations, to handlers across the border.

The authorities recovered explosives, a vehicle and weapons from the Karachi suspects, all residents of Sujawal district, who had allegedly crossed the Indian border more than 20 times. Cases have been registered on charges of anti-state and espionage, and investigations are underway to identify more accomplices.