ISLAMABAD — Pakistani security officials have strongly questioned the credibility of what India claims was a terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley on Sunday, calling it a likely false flag operation staged to deflect attention from Occupied Kashmir’s worsening security crisis and to serve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political optics abroad.
According to Indian reports, more than 20 tourists were killed and at least 24 injured. But Pakistani officials say the timing and choreography of the incident — coinciding with Modi’s high-profile visit to Saudi Arabia — raises serious doubts about its authenticity.
“This is a formula we’ve seen too many times before,” said one senior Pakistani security official. “A remote location, a sudden ‘terrorist attack,’ swift blame on Pakistan, and then a torrent of media hysteria — all unfolding just as Modi is abroad, sealing economic deals and seeking international stature.”
Officials in Islamabad allege that within minutes of the incident, Indian media outlets and social media accounts affiliated with the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) unleashed a premeditated campaign blaming Pakistan, relying on emotionally charged narratives rather than verified facts.
“They didn’t wait for an investigation. They launched a narrative — one that was already drafted,” said a Pakistani intelligence source. “And as always, it was conveniently framed through a religious lens, claiming non-Muslims were targeted — an inflammatory but unsubstantiated claim meant to provoke public anger.”
Security officials in Pakistan argue that such false flag operations have become a recurring tool for the Modi government, particularly ahead of elections or during diplomatic engagements. “From Pulwama to Pathankot, these stage-managed crises have repeatedly been used to deflect from India’s failures — especially in Kashmir, where their grip is slipping,” said another official.
The officials point to the familiar script: Modi issues a condemnation from overseas, Home Minister Amit Shah is dispatched, the BJP machine amplifies anti-Pakistan rhetoric — and the Indian media responds with manufactured outrage.
“The Modi government has militarized Occupied Kashmir and silenced its people, but the ground realities remain volatile,” said one official. “They cannot control the Valley, so they create spectacles to distract from their repression.”
They warn that such tactics not only endanger regional stability but also manipulate public emotions inside India. “Each time, it’s tragedy turned into theatre — with Pakistan cast as the villain and Modi as the savior.”
“What happened in Pahalgam is undoubtedly tragic,” a senior Pakistani official said. “But the narrative being spun around it feels far too convenient, too cinematic. It plays out like a script — not an attack.”
In the echo chamber of Indian media, where dissenting voices are increasingly rare, Pakistani officials urge global observers to ask the more difficult question: Not who pulled the trigger — but who wrote the script?