How Pakistan High Commission operates as an ISI outpost in Delhi

The ISI targets regions such as Uttar Pradesh, looking for individuals disillusioned by poverty or a sense of injustice to exploit them for intelligence purposes

Top intelligence sources claim that the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi is operating as a covert base for Islamabad’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), according to a report by CNN-News18.

The sources said that mass scale embassy recruitment is possibly to map target for fidayeen attacks in the future. The idea is to know the entry points, exits, gate strength and guarding pattern, they said.

In the last few days, several arrests have been made – including that of Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra – for sharing sensitive information with Pakistan. Sources revealed that several people like Jyoti would make videos from sensitive areas to transfer information regarding the overall guarding pattern.

The ISI targets regions such as Uttar Pradesh, looking for individuals disillusioned by poverty or a sense of injustice to exploit them for intelligence purposes, sources told CNN-News18. “ISI officials in Pakistan have asked local staffers to recruit every group capable of raising voice against India. Pakistan High Commission officials use their diplomatic immunity to recruit agents and facilitate espionage,” they said.

Based on findings from Indian intelligence operations and Delhi Police investigations, a report by Times of India has uncovered how the Pakistan’s ISI plants, grows and protects its espionage network in India.

At the Pakistan High Commission’s visa office, ISI agents, posing as officials, employ procedural delays and document requests to assess and exploit individuals. One of the key tactics deployed by them includes request for a local sim card – often obtained in the applicant’s name, thereby drawing them in their espionage network.

"ISI posts its trained agents at the high commission in Delhi, where they are assigned to departments that involve public interaction, such as visa and grievance sections," a former crime branch officer involved in busting a major spy module in 2016 told TOI.

These Pakistani intelligence officers (PIOs) are given specific regions of India and are tasked with identifying potential recruits who can be turned into assets, the officer added.

An officer told the news outlet that if an applicant agrees to provide a sim card to the PIO, it’s usually seen as a green light – proof that they can likely be manipulated into other actions also. Once a potential spy is figured, the ISI reportedly steps in.

Recently, a man named Mohammad Tarif, a resident of the Kangarka village in the Nuh district, was arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan. The accused has allegedly confessed to giving a sim card to an employee at the Pakistan High Commission and going to Pakistan, PTI reported citing police officials.

What starts with a simple request for a sim often escalates quickly. Soon, individuals are asked to gather images of military areas, report train activity or share their GPS coordinates – smaller steps in a much larger and calculated intelligence operation.

As per the CNN-News18 report, the recruits are often linked to ISI handlers through intermediaries based in third countries such as Dubai or Nepal to evade detection.