A leaked diplomatic cable has surfaced online exposing India’s covert efforts to shape the global narrative on Kashmir at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The document, attributed to hacktivist group Anon Eagle, reportedly originated from India’s Permanent Mission in Geneva and details a carefully coordinated plan to influence perceptions around Kashmir ahead of the UNHRC’s September 2023 session. The leak comes against the backdrop of escalating India-Pakistan cyber tensions following the Pahalgam attack in April 2025 that reignited hostilities between the two countries.
The leaked cable, classified TOP SECRET / REL TO GOI and dated September 2, 2023, outlines a five-hour meeting at the mission with UNHRC nodes under tightly controlled conditions. The instructions emphasize “tasking and narrative shaping,” urging mobilization of district-level networks in Azad Kashmir (referred to as “POK” in the cable) under a civic grievance cover. Office bearers were directed to gather petitions, testimonies, and time-stamped visuals to prime narratives before Geneva sessions. It further instructs that side events, NGO endorsements, and press stakeouts be arranged during the UNHRC session to reinforce India’s stance. Funding details within the cable suggest that branches rationalize their operations, with reimbursements handled through cashless “friendly controls,” and coalition building with Sindhi, Baloch, and Pashtun groups was to be discreetly supported without overt co-branding.
According to cybersecurity reports, Anon Eagle breached the Permanent Mission’s secure cable system exploiting a vulnerability before releasing the material across dark web forums and social media. The group, believed to be Pakistan-linked but not officially confirmed, said the leak exposes “India’s manipulative tactics to silence Kashmir voices at UNHRC.” The breach, they claim, highlights how grassroots mobilization and diplomatic maneuvering are being blended into digital statecraft. OPSEC measures mentioned in the cable include using community welfare and consumer rights committees as covers, restricting photographs, quarantining devices to known networks, and keeping movements small after dusk to avoid detection.
This incident underscores the intensifying digital rivalry between India and Pakistan. In May 2025, Pakistani hackers targeted Indian defense sites, leaking data from the Military Engineer Services, while India responded with audits and AI-driven threat detection. Experts like Michael Kugelman, David Sehyeon Baek, and CybelAngel have noted that cyber operations increasingly serve as a “dual front” alongside traditional hostilities. Speaking exclusively to TechJuice, Baek commented that if authentic, the leaked cable could have serious diplomatic and reputational consequences for India at multilateral forums. He added that distributing such material on the dark web mirrors a trend in hacktivist behavior where visibility and pressure are amplified, sometimes with offers to sell complete datasets for cryptocurrency. He cautioned against prematurely attributing the leak to Pakistan without more evidence, observing that India has not publicly acknowledged the breach but may be managing the fallout internally.
At its core, the leak also highlights the human dimension of the Kashmir dispute. The mobilization of grievances, petitions, and imagery described in the cable is seen by activists as a way to control rather than amplify the voices of those living in the region. Groups like the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society argue that such tactics risk silencing genuine accounts of hardship on the ground. For Pakistan, the leak provides a propaganda advantage, but it also raises the stakes in an already fraught cyber confrontation where both states are seeking to dominate the narrative. The exposure of this cable offers a rare view into the intersection of diplomacy, information operations, and digital intrusion shaping the Kashmir story in the global arena.
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