India Claims Major Crackdown on ISI-Backed Shahzad Bhatti Network, 200+ Arrested

New Delhi ( Terror Monitor) — Indian Union Home Minister Amit Shah has claimed that a major counterterrorism operation conducted ahead of Independence Day on August 15 dismantled a network allegedly run from Pakistan by Shahzad Bhatti and backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Shah said 253 people were detained and more than 200 alleged operatives linked to the network were arrested during coordinated operations across 14 Indian states.

In a post on X, Shah said the operation reflected Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government’s “zero-tolerance” policy toward terrorism. He claimed that Indian security forces carried out simultaneous raids across 14 states and “completely dismantled” the alleged ISI-backed network.

According to India’s Ministry of Home Affairs, authorities recovered improvised explosive devices (IEDs), grenades bearing markings associated with Pakistan Ordnance Factories, pistols, large quantities of ammunition and CCTV cameras allegedly intended for surveillance.

Indian sources alleged that the Shahzad Bhatti network provided money to local recruits to monitor police installations, defence facilities and religious sites and collect intelligence.

Shah described the operation as a major success against cross-border terrorism, claiming that the coordinated raids foiled plans by the alleged Shahzad Bhatti network to carry out disruptive activities around India’s Independence Day.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has rejected the Indian claims as completely “baseless,” accusing New Delhi of conducting a “malicious campaign” against Pakistan.

Although the Pakistani Foreign Ministry statement did not directly name Amit Shah, it came after the Indian home minister announced the arrests of several alleged members of a purported Pakistan-backed terrorist network known as the “Shahzad Bhatti network.”

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it “strongly rejects the attempt by the Indian Home Minister to link certain arrests in India to Pakistan.”

The ministry said such propaganda was another manifestation of India’s “malicious campaign” against Pakistan, aimed at diverting attention from India’s internal security challenges and blaming Pakistan for limited domestic political interests.

According to Indian authorities, Shahzad Bhatti is an alleged Pakistan-based handler who operates under the patronage of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI.

Indian intelligence agencies allege that Bhatti has operated a cross-border network that recruits individuals in India and provides them with financial resources and weapons, using hawala channels and encrypted messaging applications.

Indian officials further allege that the network specializes in sending explosives and small arms into India and using local “sleeper cells” to conduct surveillance of sensitive targets.

India’s Ministry of Home Affairs said the network had been under surveillance for several months and that the August 12 operation was the result of coordinated intelligence received from central agencies and state police forces.