Pakistan ISI’s Hybrid Warfare Model In Punjab: Gangsters, Drones And Targeted Killings Under Scanner
Pakistan ISI’s Hybrid Warfare Model In Punjab: Gangsters, Drones And Targeted Killings Under Scanner Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: May 25, 2026, 12:55 IST
Pakistan ISI’s Hybrid Warfare Model In Punjab: Gangsters, Drones And Targeted Killings Under Scanner Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: May 25, 2026, 12:55 IST Punjab Police and central agencies are currently examining multiple angles in the ASI Joga Singh murder case. Rapid Read Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is increasingly relying on proxy actors instead of direct terror strikes. The killing of Assistant Sub-Inspector Joga Singh near Majitha in Amritsar has once again put the spotlight on what intelligence agencies describe as a growing “hybrid crime-terror framework" operating in Punjab. While no organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, investigators believe the incident fits into a broader pattern in which gangster networks, Khalistan-linked operatives and foreign handlers allegedly work together to target policemen while maintaining plausible deniability. According to intelligence inputs accessed by CNN-News18, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is increasingly relying on proxy actors instead of direct terror strikes. The strategy, officials say, involves outsourcing targeted killings and intimidation campaigns to gangsters and local criminal modules with alleged links to Khalistani networks.
The objective is to create fear, weaken police morale and destabilise border districts through low-intensity but high-impact attacks. Punjab Police and central agencies are currently examining multiple angles in the ASI Joga Singh murder case. Teams are analysing CCTV footage, scrutinising call detail records and matching intelligence inputs to identify possible links. Investigators are also probing whether personal rivalry or road rage could have played a role, though the focus is gradually shifting toward organised crime-terror connections due to similarities with earlier incidents. Officials believe the latest ISI-backed model is designed to blur the lines between crime and terrorism. Rather than claiming responsibility for attacks, local shooters are allegedly used to execute killings, allowing masterminds operating from abroad to avoid direct exposure. Intelligence agencies say handlers based in Pakistan, Canada and Dubai are suspected of directing criminal operatives in Punjab through encrypted communication channels. Security agencies have repeatedly flagged the use of drones for smuggling weapons, heroin and ammunition across the Punjab border.
Investigators believe these supply chains are closely tied to gangster networks that also carry out targeted attacks. According to sources, officers involved in anti-drug operations and enforcement drives have increasingly become targets because their actions disrupt narcotics routes and financial networks. Sources say narcotics remain central to the emerging hybrid strategy. Officers like ASI Joga Singh, who served in the traffic police, were often involved in checking suspicious movement and monitoring routes allegedly used by smugglers. Agencies suspect such killings may also be acts of retaliation by narco networks affected by Punjab Police operations such as Operation Prahar and Yudh Nashian Virudh. Over the past several months, Punjab Police has busted multiple terror-gangster modules in operations conducted in November 2025 and May 2026. In several of those investigations, officials claimed that foreign handlers had assigned policemen as targets to spread panic and discourage aggressive policing. The recovery of heroin consignments, weapons and communication equipment in related crackdowns has further strengthened suspicions that criminal syndicates and extremist elements are increasingly overlapping.
Investigators now believe the broader aim behind these attacks is not only to intimidate individual officers, but also to create instability and communal tension in sensitive border areas of Punjab. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: May 25, 2026, 12:55 IST News india Pakistan ISI’s Hybrid Warfare Model In Punjab: Gangsters, Drones And Targeted Killings Under Scanner Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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