Recent reports indicate that the leaders of anti-India terror groups operating inside Pakistan’s borders have received directives from the country’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
The main focus of the directives is to stay away from Android phones because of worries that Indian intelligence services, specifically the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), have advanced software that can be used to hack into these devices. The ISI thinks that these kinds of tools let Indian intelligence agencies keep an eye on targets, which makes these militant groups more worried about their security.
An apparent threat posed by R&AW’s sophisticated software is the reason behind the ISI’s directive to anti-India terror groups to avoid using Android phones. Intelligence reports state that the ISI believes the Indian agency has created sophisticated technologies that might compromise Android device security and allow for the tracking and monitoring of possible targets’ movements within Pakistan.
The ISI goes on to imply that, contrary to popular belief, the deliberate assassinations of anti-India terror targets in Pakistan are not the work of unprofessional Afghani actors.
Rather, they attribute these precision operations to people with military experience, mentioning ex-military personnel and paramilitaries in particular. The ISI disputes the concept that untrained personnel from Afghanistan are the only ones responsible for such activities, arguing that these people have the competence to precisely plan and carry out operations.
The assertion made by the ISI illuminates the participation of seasoned individuals with prior military experience in executing premeditated assassinations. The intelligence agency claims that these actors are able to carry out operations with accuracy, indicating a level of professionalism not usually associated with non-state actors.
However the question is still inclear whether these individuals are acting autonomously or as part of a broader, state-backed infrastructure.
