Who is Ali Khan Mahmudabad?
Amid Indo-pak tensions, the Indian government has been arresting several people for spying for Pakistani agencies.
Dr. Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor at Ashoka University, was detained after a social media post critical of India’s recent military Operation Sindoor.
His post, which questioned the official narrative and called for accountability regarding the human cost of the operation, sparked complaints from the ruling party.
In another development, Shahzad, a businessman from UP, has been nabbed by the Special Task Force (STF) on charges of spying for Pakistan.
Authorities say the arrest follows intelligence inputs revealing his involvement in cross-border smuggling and covert operations linked to spy agencies.
The businessman reportedly travelled to neighbouring countries multiple times and engaged in smuggling goods such as cosmetics, clothing, and spices as a front for his espionage activities.
Officials accused him of providing funds and Indian SIM cards to Pakistani spies operating within India and facilitated the recruitment of individuals from Rampur and surrounding areas to work for the Pakistani intelligence agency.
This arrest comes shortly after a similar case involving Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who runs the channel ‘Travel with JO’.
The content creator was accused of sharing sensitive information with Pakistani intelligence officials—an absolute cooked-up story.
These arrests have ignited debate among civil rights groups, who express concern that national security measures are increasingly being used to suppress free speech and academic freedom.
