'Recycled propaganda': Indian intelligence dismisses Pakistan’s India-Taliban nexus claims

India Rejects Pakistan’s Baseless Claims

In what senior Indian intelligence officials described as a “desperate deflection strategy”, Pakistan’s military leadership has issued fresh allegations against India and the Afghan Taliban, days after facing pressure from China over security lapses and delays in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

According to top intelligence sources quoted by CNN-News18, the remarks came within 24 hours of Beijing delivering unusually blunt warnings to Islamabad on the safety of Chinese personnel and the slow pace of flagship infrastructure projects.

ISPR targets India and Taliban

Addressing a press conference in Rawalpindi, Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry accused the Afghan Taliban of sustaining a “war economy” by sponsoring terrorism.

In a provocative claim, the military spokesperson alleged that the Taliban government had found a “new hero” in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He further claimed Afghanistan had become a hub for militant activity, alleging it now hosts both Fitna al-Khawarij — the Pakistani military’s term for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — and what he described as “Fitna al-Hindustan”.

General Chaudhry also alleged that links between the TTP and India were “fully exposed” in 2025 and posed a direct threat to regional stability. Ending his remarks with a warning, he said, “If Afghanistan and India wish to confront Pakistan, they are welcome to do so. We will fulfil their desire.”

Beijing talks and CPEC strains

Indian intelligence sources believe the outburst followed the 7th China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue held in Beijing on January 4. CNN-News18 earlier reported visible strain during discussions between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.

Beijing, according to officials familiar with the matter, has grown increasingly frustrated over Pakistan’s failure to secure Chinese workers and meet CPEC delivery timelines, concerns that have repeatedly surfaced following militant attacks targeting Chinese interests.

Why Islamabad is shifting the narrative

Indian officials assess that Pakistan’s strategy is aimed at redirecting attention from domestic and diplomatic pressure by:

Deflecting Chinese criticism over stalled CPEC projects and internal security failures

Justifying border closures, as Pakistan has kept crossings with Afghanistan shut for nearly three months

Internationalising internal instability by portraying it as externally driven hostility involving India

The ISPR has cited alleged “Afghan-sponsored” militancy to defend its actions along the Durand Line.

Intelligence assessment: ‘Recycled disinformation’

Senior Indian intelligence sources have rejected the claims as “deliberate disinformation” and “recycled propaganda”, stating that the allegations are unsupported by credible international evidence.

They argue that such narratives are routinely deployed by Pakistan’s establishment to obscure its own record of backing militant groups. Officials point out that Pakistan experienced its deadliest year in a decade in 2025, with violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan accounting for more than 96 per cent of the national increase in fatalities.

In this context, intelligence officials view the “Modi hero” narrative as an attempt to manufacture an external scapegoat. They conclude that the “Fitna al-Hindustan” label is a legal and rhetorical construct designed to criminalise dissent and justify Pakistan’s escalating confrontation with Kabul.