In a chilling revelation that sheds light on the deepening nexus between Pakistan’s military establishment and terrorism, India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has unearthed evidence connecting a suspected Pakistan Air Force (PAF) officer to Lashkar-e-Taiba’s espionage operations against India.
The probe also exposed the involvement of a young woman from Bengal, Tanya Parveen, who was arrested after allegedly being honey-trapped and recruited into an online intelligence network targeting India’s security infrastructure.
After interrogating Tanya, the NIA arrested two more suspects—Idris from Karnataka and Altaf Ahmed from Kashmir. The case is currently under trial in a Kolkata court.
Photographs of Ayesha Siddiqui, also known as Ayesha Burhan, wearing a PAF uniform at an air base resembling the Sargodha facility, were submitted as crucial evidence to international forums to bolster the case for her designation as a wanted terrorist.
As part of India’s measured and strategic retaliation to the Pahalgam massacre, the Indian Air Force targeted and damaged the Sargodha Air Base—one of Pakistan’s major military installations.
This strike now carries added significance, as it is also the hometown of Ayesha, the Pakistan Air Force officer linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Intelligence experts suggest this connection points to a deeper, troubling alignment between Pakistan’s state machinery and terrorist organisations like Lashkar.
The case surfaced in 2020 during an NIA investigation in Kolkata, centred around Tanya, a resident of Baduria in North 24 Parganas’ Basirhat.
Initial leads revealed suspicious digital activity, and upon forensic analysis of Tanya’s mobile device, investigators recovered deleted messages and group chats pointing to a covert online network.
Among these was a secretive social media group named Pak Kashmir ki Shehzadiya, which Tanya co-managed. Alarmingly, the group’s main administrator was Ayesha, a resident of Sargodha, Pakistan.
The NIA traced several of Tanya’s communications to Pakistani numbers, some of which were found to be registered under government telecom accounts.
“Most notably, Ayesha was not just a civilian—she appeared in multiple images dressed in the official uniform of the PAF. These photographs, recovered by NIA investigators, suggest that Ayesha is actively serving or has served in the PAF, while simultaneously operating as a female commander within LeT, one of the most dangerous terror outfits operating in South Asia,” said an NIA official.
According to intelligence inputs, Ayesha ran online honeytrap campaigns, using video calls to elicit sensitive information and visuals of Indian military and vital infrastructure.
She reportedly maintained close contact with Tanya and used the latter to obtain photos of key locations. These images were discreetly transferred through encrypted platforms, raising serious national security concerns.
The NIA, after months of investigation, filed a chargesheet against Ayesha and a known Pakistani terrorist, Bilal, at a Kolkata court in 2021. Following this, a Red Corner Notice was issued against Ayesha through Interpol, while a Blue Corner Notice was filed against Bilal.
All findings, including phone numbers, images, and chat transcripts, have been formally shared with Pakistani authorities through diplomatic channels. However, there has been no official response or cooperation from Pakistan so far.
This case highlights the disturbing trend of state-backed espionage and terror recruitment using women operatives and digital platforms, and further exposes how terror organisations are infiltrating social networks to exploit vulnerable individuals for anti-India activities.
Tanya remains under scrutiny, while Indian agencies continue to track the larger network extending beyond borders.
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