ISI adopts new three-pronged strategy in Punjab: Intel reports

Intelligence inputs warn that Inter-Services Intelligence is focusing on Punjab through targeted killings, drug smuggling, and arms supply, using low-intensity blasts and financial incentives to recruit youth and sustain cross-border terror networks

New Delhi: Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has sharpened its focus on Punjab with a calibrated three-pronged strategy built around targeted killings, drug trafficking, and the supply of arms and ammunition, according to intelligence inputs.

Punjab has seen a series of low-intensity blasts in recent months, involving crude bombs and grenades. An Intelligence Bureau official has said that these incidents are designed less for damage and more as a diversion. The intent, they say, is to draw security attention while operatives quietly push in weapons, expand narcotics networks, and execute selective killings.

---

“ISI-backed operatives are expected to continue pushing in arms, expanding drug networks and carrying out targeted killings,” officials said.

At the same time, the Punjab Police will need to keep close watch on attempts to trigger low-intensity blasts. These incidents are not intended to cause large-scale damage. Their purpose is to create fear and draw security attention away from other activities.

Investigations show that local recruits, mostly young men, are being paid substantial sums to execute such attacks. Officials say the payment can go up to Rs 4 lakh per operation, a level of funding that has raised concern within the security establishment.

An intelligence assessment prepared a few months ago had already indicated a surge in financial inflows. This shift is linked to the limited appeal of Khalistan-related messaging among the youth. Efforts to mobilise support on ideological grounds have not found much response.

Instead, handlers appear to be relying on monetary incentives. Officials note that aspirations for a more affluent lifestyle, along with the existing drug problem in parts of the state, have made some sections of youth more vulnerable to recruitment. The scale of funding reflects this change in approach.

Officials studying recent trends in Punjab say that the ISI is avoiding large and high-impact attacks. The pattern does not point to fidayeen strikes or coordinated serial blasts. Instead, the focus is on softer targets with limited strategic value. This, they believe, reflects a measured approach aimed at letting the situation develop gradually without drawing an overwhelming response.

Targeted killings appear to be preferred over mass-casualty attacks. Such operations are precise and intended to send a strong message, serving as a tool of intimidation. At the same time, arms and drug smuggling remain central to the network’s functioning. These activities not only generate funds but also help channel weapons towards Jammu and Kashmir.

Police officials say that while there is no shortage of operatives in Kashmir willing to carry out attacks, they face constraints in terms of infrastructure. Large quantities of arms and ammunition built up earlier have been seized by Indian security forces. In the present conditions, officials note, drones have made it easier to move weapons and narcotics across the Punjab border.

Smuggling along the Jammu and Kashmir border has become extremely difficult at present. Much like infiltration attempts, movement of contraband across the Line of Control has seen a sharp decline. After the Pahalgam attack, Indian armed forces carried out Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. In the aftermath, border security has been tightened to an unprecedented level, resulting in a series of failed attempts by ISI-backed operatives.