The recent incident on a tourist area in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu Kashmir (IIOJK), Pahalgam, is until now another example of Indian false flag operations. According to Al Jazeera, on 22 April 2025, approximately 26 people killed and more than a dozen were maimed in Pahalgam.

In 2017, Lt Gen Gill (Retd), member of the investigation team, admitted the involvement of the Indian army in the massacre

From 1947, India is an existential threat for Pakistan. The hypocrite India has been playing the blame game for Pakistan. On 20 March 2000, 36 Sikhs were killed by a hitman in Army uniform in Chittisinghpura IIOJK and once again without any provable evidence India hastily blamed Pakistan behind the attack. It was a planned move, carefully in time with US President Bill Clinton’s visit. India wanted to damage Pakistan’s image internationally. Later in 2017, a Lt Gen Gill (Retd), who was a member of the investigation team, admitted the involvement of the Indian army in the massacre.

In addition, the 26/11 Mumbai attack was also a well known example of Indian false flag operation. In December 2001, there was an attack on the Indian Parliament. The attack happened at a time when India wanted to take advantage of the situation after the 9/11 attacks and blame Pakistan internationally. After that, a former official from the Home Ministry condemned Indian government of pre planning the Parliament attack.

RSS is responsible for the bombings at Malegaon, Mecca Masjid, and the Samjhauta Express

When the United States invaded Iraq and global war on terror intensified, on March 2003, India planted the Nadimarg Massacre to internationally condemn Pakistan and also to hinder the Kashmiris struggle for freedom. The massacre led to the killings of 24 Kashmiri Pandits, carried out by attackers in fake military uniforms. After the attack, L.K. Advani Indian Deputy Prime Minister, known for his Hindu extremist views, quickly blamed Pakistan for the Nadimarg massacre, boldly claiming that India’s “neighbor is involved” in every attack in the country especially in Kashmir. In 2013, Sushil Kumar Shinde, former Indian Home Minister, revealed the links between the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) and the Hindu extremist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), exposing the RSS of being responsible for the bombings at Malegaon, Mecca Masjid, and the Samjhauta Express.

The pilot, Abhinandan Varthaman, was captured 

Likewise, another false flag operation was, On 14 February 2019, when a vehicle carrying Indian security personnel on the National Highway of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu Kashmir (IIOJK) was attacked by a suicide bomber on the Pulwama district that killed at least 40 Indian soldiers. India again blamed Pakistan for the Pulwama attack. Soon after that, India carried out air strikes in Balakot, northern Pakistan. They claimed those areas as so called “militant hideouts”. Pakistan said that the Indian strikes only hit an empty forest area. Pakistan responded with its own airstrikes near Indian military sites but no casualties were reported. Both nuclear states also used the fighter jets, and in an aerial battle an Indian aircraft was shot down. The pilot, Abhinandan Varthaman, was captured but was released two days later.

 First Information Report (FIR) was registered at the Pahalgam police station six kilometers away from where the incident occurred after just 10 minutes 

The BJP-led India is facing ambiguousness over the official narrative regarding the attack. One of the major loopholes is that no videos or images of the Indians claimed elimination of the attackers. The other concerning aspect is the First Information Report (FIR), registered at the Pahalgam police station six kilometers away from where the incident occurred just 10 minutes after the incident proving that Indian narrative was pre-planned.

The Foreign Minister of Pakistan and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, called the Indian actions “immature and hasty”. He further said that “India has not given any evidence [of Pakistani involvement in the attack]. They have not shown any maturity in their response. This is not a serious approach. They started creating hype immediately after the incident,” said Dar in television interview.

India has been actively involved in terrorist plots and insurgencies inside Pakistan especially in Baluchistan

Since its inception, India has been actively involved in terrorist plots and insurgencies inside Pakistan especially in Baluchistan. The recent reports revealed that the recent Jaffar express attack in Pakistan by Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) was framed by India. There is a similarity in the recent Pahalgam incident and the Jaffar express attack since both groups of terrorists used the same M4 carbine rifles. In 2021, M4 carbine rifles, a US made rifle, was abandoned by US forces in Afghanistan.

Moreover, Indian media has been constantly trying to divert attention away from the internal instability and the human rights violations inside India by Indian extremist groups. These outlets are assigned to frame Pakistan without any primary investigation or bringing any forensic evidence which proves that India had pre-planned the situation to swiftly place blame on Pakistan. The pattern of quick media trials and using accusatory language has been witnessed in earlier cases when these kinds of attacks have been used to create an external foe and divert attention away from internal instability.

Pakistan warned India that it might end all bilateral agreements with India, including the Simla Agreement 1972

Soon after the Pahalagam incident, unilaterally India suspended an International agreement the Indus Water Treaty (IWT). For more than 6 decades, India and Pakistan have shared the management of the waters of six rivers in the Indus basin the cradle of one of the world’s oldest civilizations. Despite their differences, both nuclear powers relied on the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) to keep the fertile lands watered on both sides of their border. However, this pact could become the latest flashpoint in the already fragile relationship between the two South Asian states. Pakistan warned India that it might end all bilateral agreements with India, including the Simla Agreement 1974.

India is not on a good terms with most of its immediate neighbors

Furthermore, in the South Asian region, just because of Hindu extremist policies, India seems to be a constant regional threat whether it is a threat of nuclear weapons, military and arms race. India is not on a good terms with most of its immediate neighbors.

The Modi-led India is hypocritical, and just playing the blame game against Pakistan, aimed to divert attention of the world media from its internal issues

Pahalgam attack is a potential false flag operation by Modi-led India. The comparisons with several past incidents where India without any investigation and solid proof blamed Pakistan for attacks all over India especially in IIOJK. There are several loopholes in the incident, like how quickly the FIR was filed, the absence of visual proof, and the similarities between the rifles of Jaffar express attack and Pahalgam attack. The Modi-led India is a hypocrite, and they are just playing the blame game against Pakistan, aimed to divert the attention of the world media from internal issues.

Peaceful coexistence requires a fundamental shift in commitment, prioritizing dialogue, and mutual respect

War between the two nuclear power is not a joke. It’s clear that if a real nuclear war happens, there won’t be any winners. It would destroy not just Pakistan or India, but also harm the whole world. Therefore both states should try to de-escalate the increasing tensions by investing in dialogues. Peaceful coexistence requires a fundamental shift in commitment, prioritizing dialogue, and mutual respect.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.