MUZAFFARABAD - Inspector General of Police for Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Liaqat Ali Malik, has announced the arrest of a suspected Indian RAW operative who was allegedly filming sensitive military sites and collecting information on security forces, while also confirming that five individuals with alleged RAW links posing as activists of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) have been taken into custody.
🚨🇵🇰 BREAKING
- Zard si Gana (@ZardSi) June 9, 2026
AJK Police IG says Azad Jammu & Kashmir Police have arrested a suspected Indian RAW operative filming sensitive military sites and collecting information on security forces.
AJK Police arrested 5 suspected RAW-linked individuals posing as JAAC activists today. pic.twitter.com/s9gSZGiF3g
The revelations come amid heightened security in the region following the recent ban on JAAC and a series of intelligence-based operations targeting foreign-sponsored espionage networks.
RAW Operative Arrested in Rawalakot
Addressing a press conference, IG Malik disclosed that a suspected agent of India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) had been arrested in Rawalakot for allegedly filming sensitive installations and gathering intelligence on security forces.
The suspect, identified as Muhammad Irfan, a resident of District Haveli Kahuta, was reportedly caught while filming a sensitive installation in Rawalakot. According to the police chief, the suspect was allegedly "blackmailed into working for RAW" after being lured through social media.
IG Malik explained the method of operation: "The handler used a Facebook account with an address in Lahore, blackmailing him by initially assigning 'small tasks' - beginning with commonplace activities and later involving geotagging, sharing coordinates, and recording videos of sensitive sites, including military installations, schools, bridges and other government buildings in AJK and elsewhere in Pakistan".
The suspect reportedly confessed that he was initially offered small payments for simple tasks before being blackmailed when his handler claimed to be an operative of an Indian intelligence agency.
"This time, the AJK police worked with sensitive institutions to take pre-emptive action and exposed this whole network," Malik said, adding that "enemy forces had trapped innocent young people while causing damage to life and property".
Five RAW-Linked Suspects Posing as JAAC Activists Arrested
In a separate major development, security agencies conducted an intelligence-based operation in the Chehla Bandi area of Muzaffarabad district, resulting in the arrest of five individuals linked to India's intelligence agency RAW.
According to security sources, the suspects were reportedly posing as activists of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) while allegedly working on behalf of Indian intelligence. The operation was conducted by security agencies including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Authorities recovered laptops, mobile phones, and other advanced communication devices from the suspects' possession. Preliminary investigations reportedly uncovered suspicious contacts and sensitive material from the seized digital devices.
During subsequent interrogations, one of the suspects allegedly led investigators to a cache of weapons and military equipment. The recovered arsenal included seven automatic weapons, several grenades, and other military-grade material.
The operation also led to the recovery of maps of sensitive installations, attack plans, and documents relating to strategic locations.
Security Forces Commended
IG Malik commended all police personnel and forces involved in the operations and paid tribute to them, saying that the police would go to "any length for this holy land" and would end the "enemy's impure intentions".
JAAC Context
The arrests come amid escalating tensions surrounding the Joint Awami Action Committee, which was formally declared a proscribed organization by the AJK government on June 5, placing it in the First Schedule of the AJK Anti-Terrorism Act, 2014.
The AJK government has accused the group of involvement in terrorism, promoting hatred, and creating anarchy in the state. Recently, key JAAC figures including Syed Faisal Gilani and Raja Sultan have distanced themselves from the group, with Gilani terming it a "so-called movement that has deviated from its original purpose".
The government has also issued a wanted list of four JAAC leaders - Shaukat Nawaz Mir, Umar Nazir Kashmiri, Khawaja Mehran Arshad, and Sardar Aman Khan - offering a reward of Rs 10 million for information leading to their arrest.
Pakistan's Position on Indian Espionage
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has previously accused India of using proxies to revive terrorism in Pakistan after its "humiliating defeat in last year's military conflict," warning that peace in the region would remain elusive unless New Delhi abandoned its "aggressive, expansionist and hegemonic ambitions".
The arrests in AJK add to a growing list of suspected RAW-linked operations uncovered by Pakistani security agencies. In December of last year, the Punjab Counter Terrorism Department claimed to have arrested 12 suspected militants allegedly working for RAW in intelligence-based operations conducted in Lahore, Faisalabad, and Bahawalpur.
