Pakistan calls Amit Shah's terror network claims baseless, India maintains evidence
Pakistan has officially rejected statements made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah linking its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency to a terror network whose operatives were recently arrested across India. The Foreign Office described the allegations as “baseless” and accused New Delhi of using such assertions to deflect attention from internal security issues.
In a social media post on Monday (August 17, 2026), Mr. Shah announced that over 200 operatives of the Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN), allegedly backed by Pakistan's ISI, had been detained in coordinated operations across 14 states just ahead of India's Independence Day on August 15. He said these arrests had foiled plans for subversive attacks and claimed that substantial recoveries were made, including improvised explosive devices (IEDs), grenades bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, pistols, live cartridges, and CCTV cameras used for espionage.
Responding to media queries on Mr. Shah's remarks, Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, issued a late-night statement on Monday, rejecting the claims outright. “We have seen the allegations made by the Indian Home Minister. These are baseless and amount to a diversionary tactic by India to mask its domestic security challenges,” Mr. Andrabi said. He did not elaborate further but urged the international community to take note of what he called India's “habitual” practice of blaming Pakistan for internal problems.
The Shahzad Bhatti Network, named after its alleged leader, is described in a government statement from New Delhi as a Pakistan-based terror syndicate involved in grenade, IED, and petrol-bomb attacks, as well as targeted killings across India. According to Indian authorities, the network has also paid local conduits to conduct reconnaissance of police, defence, and religious sites and to install CCTV cameras for espionage purposes.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is currently probing several cases linked to Bhatti, including a grenade attack at the residence of social media influencer Roger Sandhu in Punjab in March 2025 and an explosion at a women's police station in Haryana the same year. In April 2026, the NIA formally charged Bhatti as an absconder, accusing him of orchestrating these incidents from Pakistani soil. The agency has also issued non-bailable warrants against him.
The latest exchange between the two countries reflects the enduring tensions over cross-border terrorism. India has repeatedly presented evidence of Pakistan's alleged involvement in supporting militant groups operating in Indian territory, while Pakistan has consistently denied such allegations, proposing dialogue and investigation instead. This is not the first time that Indian officials have pointed to the ISI's role in fomenting unrest, but the scale of arrests cited by Mr. Shah is unusually large.
Analysts note that the timing of these claims and counterclaims is significant. The arrests took place in the run-up to Independence Day, a period when security agencies are typically on high alert. Pakistan's immediate rejection of the allegations suggests a familiar pattern of diplomatic disputation, with both sides appealing to their respective domestic audiences and international supporters. However, there has been no independent verification of the recoveries or the extent of the network's operations.
For now, the Shahzad Bhatti Network remains a point of contention. India is expected to press for international cooperation to address what it calls state-sponsored terrorism, while Pakistan is likely to continue denying any official link. The matter may also find resonance in multilateral forums, including the United Nations, where both countries have previously raised issues of cross-border terrorism.
As the investigations proceed, the NIA is likely to release more details of the alleged conspiracy, which could further shape public opinion. But the fundamental divergence between the two nations' positions remains unchanged: India insists on evidence-based action against terror networks, while Pakistan urges against what it sees as unsubstantiated accusations that poison bilateral relations.
