Centre designates Pakistani influencer's network as terror outfit

India's Home Ministry has taken action against the network operated by Pakistani social media influencer Shahzad Bhatti, formally designating it as a terrorist organization. The designation follows an investigation that revealed the network's coordinated campaign spanning 14 states across the country, according to government sources.

The influencer's operations reportedly leveraged social media platforms to spread a message of fear and establish influence among target audiences across multiple regions. Authorities determined that the network's activities constituted a threat to national security and public order, prompting the formal terror designation.

The Ministry's action represents an escalation in India's response to cross-border digital threat actors. Pakistani nationals and their networks have increasingly become a focus of Indian security agencies, particularly those leveraging social media to conduct influence operations or radicalization campaigns.

The designation restricts the network's financial operations and communications infrastructure while empowering law enforcement to take action against individuals or entities providing material support. Security officials indicated that investigations into the network's activities and local connections across the affected states would continue.