Pakistan cites some 'Indian voices' to back 'False Flag' claim on Pahalgam attack, faces blowback

New Delhi, June 3 (IANS) In a move that has drawn sharp responses from Indian officials and security analysts, Pakistan has released a 20-page dossier accusing India of orchestrating a "false flag" operation in Pahalgam to justify its precision strikes under 'Operation Sindoor'.

In a remarkable shift in tactics to change the narrative, Pakistan’s dossier leans heavily on some Indian media reports, expert interviews, and public commentary to support its claim. The document refers to content from certain Indian news outlets, social media posts and well-known journalists, quoting their assessments and statements as evidence that the Pahalgam terror attack may have been staged by India itself. Screenshots of interviews with such media persons have also been shared in the dossier by Pakistan.

Pakistan is doing so in an attempt to frame the Indian military’s retaliatory strikes as pre-planned aggression rather than a justified response to terrorism. However, the use of internal Indian commentary in an international accusation has been seen by many experts and officials in New Delhi as a deliberate bid to "exploit domestic dissent for geopolitical gain". The Indian officials and experts have rejected Pakistan’s claims of a false flag operation in the Pahalgam carnage.

"This is a classic case of selective amplification. Pakistan has long failed to provide credible evidence of its denials and now relies on opinions from within India to shape its counter-narrative," said a security expert.

Indian officials maintain that the Pahalgam attack, in which civilians were brutally killed at close range, was an act of state-backed terror — one that crossed a red line and prompted a calibrated military response through Operation Sindoor. The officials argue that Pakistan’s claims are not backed by forensic, technical, or international intelligence, only media speculation.

Analysts also point out that this strategy of quoting Indian voices may backfire, as it signals a lack of independent evidence from Pakistan’s side and underscores a pattern of using narrative warfare in place of facts.

Even as the dossier seeks to challenge India's rationale, it inadvertently confirms the scale of damage inflicted by Indian strikes, listing 28 sites hit by Indian forces — more than the 20 officially disclosed by Indian defence briefings — further undercutting Islamabad’s earlier denials of losses.

India continues to stand by the legitimacy and necessity of Operation Sindoor, stating clearly that its actions were targeted, proportionate, and in direct response to cross-border terrorism.

--IANS

brt/vd