ISLAMABAD, Friday, April 25, 2025 (WNP): Indian armed forces have launched a sweeping and intensified crackdown on civilians in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), following what is being widely condemned by local voices as a false flag operation in Pahalgam.

The latest wave of repression has raised serious concerns about human rights violations and the targeting of dissenting voices in the region, particularly in Muslim-majority areas.

According to credible local sources, Indian troops have unleashed indiscriminate raids and mass arrests in the aftermath of the Pahalgam incident. This aggressive campaign is being viewed by many as an attempt to divert attention from security lapses and suppress any scrutiny of the Indian government’s narrative.

One of the most alarming developments is the arrest of a prominent Kashmiri journalist who publicly questioned the official account of the Pahalgam attack. The journalist, whose identity is being withheld for safety reasons, reportedly asked how such an incident could occur despite the presence of over 800,000 Indian troops and multiple layers of security in the region.

“He had to cross at least ten check posts on his way to Pahalgam,” a local media colleague told. “His questions were logical—how can an area so tightly monitored witness a terror incident unless there was negligence or deliberate orchestration?”

The journalist’s arrest has sparked fears of yet another “fake encounter”—a practice for which Indian forces in the region have often been accused by international rights groups. Activists say that anyone who challenges the narrative of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or Prime Minister Narendra Modi—referred to by critics as the “Butcher of Gujarat” due to his alleged role in the 2002 anti-Muslim riots—is swiftly silenced.

“There is no room left for freedom of speech in Kashmir,” said one human rights advocate, requesting anonymity. “Every time a false flag operation occurs, it is followed by brutal suppression, arbitrary arrests, and sometimes extrajudicial killings.”

Reports from the ground indicate that a significant number of innocent Kashmiri Muslims have been detained in the past few days. The crackdown is being viewed as a cover-up to mask the failure of Indian forces to prevent the Pahalgam incident, despite maintaining one of the world’s most militarized zones.

The Indian government has not issued a formal response to the allegations of a false flag operation or the arrest of the journalist, but previous such claims have consistently been denied by New Delhi.

International observers continue to raise alarm over the deteriorating human rights situation in IIOJK, where access for global media and rights watchdogs remains severely restricted.

As the situation in the valley grows more volatile, calls are mounting for an independent investigation into the Pahalgam incident and for the immediate release of the detained journalist. Rights groups are also urging the international community to take urgent notice of the systematic suppression of Kashmiri voices and demand accountability from the Indian government.