In a stunning blow to India's credibility, Lt Gen DS Rana, the director general of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), was abruptly removed from his post and transferred to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, after a leaked document exposed a false-flag operation in Pahalgam, it was learnt on Friday.
The role of India's premier intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), in the Pahalgam false flag operation was exposed this week through a document that was leaked through the social media app 'Telegram'.
Sources said that the document was a clear evidence of the involvement of the Indian government in the attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) tourist resort of Pahalgam on April 22 in which 26 tourists were shot dead.
The leaked document detailed India's covert plan to stage an attack in Pahalgam — a desperate attempt to malign Pakistan and justify military aggression. However, the operation collapsed spectacularly when the classified papers surfaced in the media, publicly humiliating RAW and Narendra Modi government.
The RAW document leak showed that it was a government-hatched conspiracy with instructions that Pakistan would be blamed 36 hours after the attack. According to sources, a series of removal of senior Indian officers followed the leak.
Reports said that the document had been entrusted to Lt Gen Rana for personal safekeeping, adding that Indian investigation had indicated that it was leaked from his office. Rana's new posting in areas know as 'Kala Pani' is seen as a "punitive action".
Rana's transfer is another panic-driven purge within India's security apparatus. Previously, Lt-Gen MV Sachinder Kumar was removed as Northern Commander after the Pahalgam debacle. Indian Air Force's Deputy Air Marshal Sujeet Pushpakar Dharkar was also dismissed.
Defence analysts and experts said that Pahalgam was not just a failure but also an international embarrassment for India. They added that these removals would cause psychological pressure on Indian military leadership and personnel.
Brig (retd) Mahmood Shah, former law and order secretary for erstwhile Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) said the Modi government was badly trapped in a conspiracy of its own making, and was being mocked even in India today.
It was a serious crime that tarnished the global image of India, Dr Ejaz Khan, former chairman of the International Relations Department at the University of Peshawar, commented. The leaked document exposed ugly face of India as it plotted flags operations against its own citizens, he added.
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