Inside the ISI's Plan to Use Hamas Ties in Kashmir Campaign
New Delhi: Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is reportedly trying to reshape its approach to Kashmir by linking it with Palestine, according to security officials. They say long-running associations between Hamas and terror groups based in Pakistan are now being used to push a new narrative.
Officials say several meetings between Hamas and local militant organisations were arranged with ISI support. One of the most significant took place in Rawalkot on February 5, 2025. Members of Hamas, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) attended a session titled "Kashmir Solidarity and Hamas Operation Al-Aqsa Flood." The stated aim was to discuss ideas and organisational experience.
An Intelligence Bureau (IB) official said drones and other operational issues were part of the discussions. However, the official maintained that the core objective was to link the Palestinian and Kashmir causes.
By presenting both issues as a "resistance movement," the leaders of these groups sought to frame them as a common fight, officials said. The strategy went beyond uniting terror outfits. It aimed to build a shared narrative around two very different conflicts.
"The main objective was to send a message to Jammu and Kashmir," one official said. "Pictures and videos of these meetings are being shared in groups associated with Kashmir, so that local people feel connected and support these organisations."
Officials argue that Pakistan's narrative on Jammu and Kashmir has weakened significantly since the abrogation of Article 370. Fewer people are accepting it, they said, because many now understand that stone pelting or armed violence offers no real benefit. For this reason, the Hamas angle has become more useful to the ISI.
"The ISI wants to show that Kashmir is not just Pakistan's issue, but one that international terror organisations are also presenting as a resistance struggle," an official said.
Another official said the ISI expects that some Kashmiris may be influenced if the campaign is linked to Hamas. They could come to believe their cause is being highlighted internationally. "Some people may fall into this propaganda trap, and a campaign carried out in Hamas's name could help increase recruitment," the official said.
According to officials, the Hamas-JeM-LeT alignment could try to change its strategy and attack methods in Kashmir. Hamas-style attacks have been discussed, but officials believe the larger intention is to pull Kashmiri youth back into the conflict.
The ideological campaign, officials caution, may pose a greater threat than the operational changes being adopted by JeM and LeT.
Jammu and Kashmir has seen several encouraging changes since Article 370 was removed. Terrorism has declined and tourism has increased. New recruitment into terror groups has dropped sharply, and several overground worker (OGW) networks have been shut down, which has made it difficult for ISI-backed elements to operate.
Officials say the ideology and propaganda Pakistan once used to influence Kashmiris are losing their effect quickly, and this has worried the ISI. It now wants to add a new dimension to provoke Kashmir's youth, and it hopes the Hamas-linked propaganda campaign will help it do so.