SOURCE: AFI
In a provocative move that has stirred tensions across the region, several Pakistan-backed defence analysts on the social media platform X have recently called for the establishment of multiple separatist “desks” targeting India. These calls come in the wake of allegations by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) that India was behind a recent train hijack incident reportedly carried out by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
The proposed desks include the Khalistan Desk, Kashmir Desk, Nagaland Desk, Manipur Desk, West Bengal Desk, Junagadh Desk, Tamil Tiger Desk (focused on Tamil land between South India and North Sri Lanka, particularly Jaffna), Naxal Desk, and Badoo Desk—each aimed at exploiting fault lines within India and its neighboring regions.
The timing of these calls raises questions about their intent and origin. Posts on X by accounts identified as defence analysts with apparent ties to Pakistani narratives began circulating shortly after the ISI’s claims regarding the BLA train hijack. While the ISI’s allegations lack independently verifiable evidence, they have provided a convenient pretext for these accounts to push a divisive agenda. The proposed “desks” are seemingly designed to amplify separatist sentiments in regions where India has faced historical or ongoing challenges, including the Punjab-based Khalistan movement, the insurgency in Kashmir, and unrest in parts of the Northeast like Nagaland and Manipur.
Additionally, the mention of a “Tamil Tiger Desk” focusing on Tamil land between South India and North Sri Lanka (Jaffna) appears to revive memories of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a militant group defeated in Sri Lanka in 2009. The inclusion of regions like West Bengal, Junagadh (a former princely state integrated into India in 1948), and even the Naxal-affected areas in central India suggests a broader strategy to destabilize India by stoking regional and ethnic divisions. The reference to a “Badoo Desk” remains unclear but may point to lesser-known local insurgencies or be a typo for another intended target.
The backdrop to this online campaign is the ISI’s claim that India orchestrated a recent train hijack incident attributed to the BLA, a separatist group seeking independence for Balochistan from Pakistan. The BLA has been responsible for numerous attacks in Pakistan, often targeting infrastructure and security forces to highlight their grievances against the state. However, the ISI’s assertion that India is directly involved lacks substantiation and appears to fit a pattern of deflecting domestic criticism by pointing fingers at its eastern neighbor.
India has consistently denied such allegations, with the Ministry of External Affairs labeling them as baseless propaganda meant to distract from Pakistan’s internal security failures. The BLA itself has not publicly endorsed the ISI’s claims, and independent analysts remain skeptical of the narrative, noting the absence of credible evidence. Nonetheless, the accusation has provided fuel for anti-India sentiment on platforms like X, where accounts claiming to be defence analysts have seized the opportunity to escalate their rhetoric.
The proposed “desks” listed by these accounts are not merely symbolic; they hint at a desire to formalize and possibly fund efforts to support separatist movements within India. The Khalistan Desk, for instance, refers to a long-dormant movement for a Sikh homeland in Punjab, which saw its peak in the 1980s and 1990s but has since been largely quelled through a combination of security measures and political engagement. Similarly, the Kashmir Desk aligns with Pakistan’s long-standing position on the disputed territory, where it has been accused of supporting militancy—a charge Islamabad denies.
The mention of desks for Nagaland and Manipur taps into the complex ethnic and political dynamics of India’s Northeast, where various groups have sought greater autonomy or independence over the decades. The West Bengal Desk and Junagadh Desk seem to aim at stirring unrest in areas with historical ties to partition-era disputes, though these regions have remained largely stable. The Naxal Desk points to the Maoist insurgency in India’s central and eastern states, which, while a significant security challenge, has no direct connection to Pakistan.
Perhaps most striking is the call for a Tamil Tiger Desk focusing on Tamil land between South India and North Sri Lanka. The LTTE’s defeat in 2009 ended a brutal civil war in Sri Lanka, but lingering Tamil grievances in both Sri Lanka and India’s Tamil Nadu state remain a sensitive issue. Suggesting the revival of a Tamil Tiger agenda risks inflaming tensions not just in India but also in Sri Lanka, a nation still healing from decades of conflict.
Social media platforms like X have become battlegrounds for information warfare, where state-backed or state-inspired actors can amplify narratives to influence public opinion and destabilize adversaries. The accounts pushing for these separatist desks often frame their rhetoric as a retaliatory measure—“paying India back with interest,” as some posts have stated—following the ISI’s allegations. While it’s unclear whether these accounts are directly linked to Pakistani state agencies, their alignment with ISI talking points and their focus on divisive issues suggest a coordinated effort to exploit India’s internal challenges.
The calls for these separatist desks are unlikely to materialize into tangible organizations overnight, but they signal a troubling intent to deepen divisions in an already complex region. Beyond India, the rhetoric risks straining relations with Sri Lanka, where any hint of Tamil Tiger resurgence would be met with alarm. The broader South Asian neighborhood—already grappling with economic challenges, border disputes, and internal unrest—can ill afford another cycle of proxy conflicts fueled by social media propaganda.
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