Given how May 2025 India-Pakistan clash folded, it was only a matter of time before someone got an upperhand in digitally harassing the other. We now see it in the form of a leaked diplomatic cable that has materialized India’s cyber strategies into the spotlight.
The leaked document reveals a shocking admission of a sophisticated campaign to shape the global narrative on Kashmir. Dated September 2, 2023, the document outlines instructions from India’s Permanent Mission in Geneva to coordinate with UNHRC nodes ahead of the September 2023 session.
This explosive leak, attributed to the hacktivist group “Anon Eagle,” exposes not just operational details but the human element behind India’s digital diplomacy.
What Does the Leak Cable Hold?
The cable, originating from the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva, CABNET, addresses a classified meeting with UNHRC nodes on September 2, 2023 (Monday).
It details a five-hour session under controlled conditions, aligning with the UNHRC calendar. The subject: “Tasking and Narrative Shaping: Interaction with UNHRC Nodes ahead of UNHRC.” The cable’s tone is urgent and tactical, emphasizing the need to manage risk under TOP SECRET / REL TO GOI classification.
The Cable’s Core Directives
The instructions are precise and multi-layered, reflecting a coordinated effort to counter perceived threats to India’s position on Kashmir. First, the mission met with UNHRC’s SSARK and NAK on September 2, 2023, to convey guidance and assurances. The meeting lasted five hours at the mission under controlled conditions, aligning with the UNHRC calendar. Both inside and outside sequencing pressure was flagged for subsequent packaging.
Key tasks included mobilizing the UNHNP grid across Azad Kashmir (dubbed “POK” in the cable) districts using civic grievance cover. The objective is presence and narrative priming ahead of Geneva, attributing remaining low to this. District nodes were tasked to task all office bearers to surface day-to-day issues of common people and collect petitions, short testimonies, and time-stamped visuals for subsequent packaging.
Kashmir UNHRC File Leak: All the Directives
Here is all what the document instructs in detail:
- Street actions were told to raise the same issue proximate to and during the upcoming UNHRC session in Geneva via side-events, NGO endorsers, and press stakeouts. To raise the same issue proximate to and during the upcoming UNHRC session in Geneva via side-events, NGO endorsers, and press stakeouts.
- Funding recent months’ contact states that a majority of funds lack diversion to PTM activities in Europe. They were told future branches would be rationalized and that the Kashmir grid would reimburse sufficient basis through friendly controls, largely cashless.
- Coalition build-out toward the end SSAR was told to quietly facilitate and support like-minded fellows (Sindhi, Baloch, Pashtun) in logistics activities and UNHRC session without tight co-branding.
- OPSEC covers to remain as community welfare and consumer rights committees; no photographs; near mission; devices quarantined to known; small-group movements after dusk to minimize pattern.
- Metrics required outputs include headcounts at rallies, three press mentions, and two NGO local notables along Geneva corridors, with photographic proof and timestamps. The mission requires short neutral talking points for printing points for friendly transport and discreet Geneva micro-fund two NGOs prepared to table electricity-bill petitionaries.
The cable’s origin is HDL No. 021083 SEPR 23, classified by 02 SEP 2025, Geneva, released by Special LD.
This document paints a picture of a well-orchestrated operation, blending grassroots mobilization with diplomatic maneuvering to influence international perceptions on Kashmir.
The Anon Eagle Hack: A Digital Shadow War
The leak was attributed to “Anon Eagle,” a hacktivist group that emerged in 2025, claiming responsibility for breaching Indian diplomatic communications.
According to cybersecurity reports, Anon Eagle targeted the Permanent Mission in Geneva, exploiting a vulnerability in the mission’s secure cable system to extract and publish the document on dark web forums and social media. The group, believed to be Pakistan-linked, stated the leak exposes “India’s manipulative tactics to silence Kashmir voices at UNHRC.”
The breach occurred amid heightened tensions following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians and reignited India-Pakistan hostilities. Indian officials dismissed the leak as “fabricated propaganda,” but the cable’s authenticity, verified by independent experts through metadata analysis, has fueled international scrutiny. This incident is part of a broader wave of cyberattacks, with Pakistan Cyber Force claiming breaches of Indian defense sites in May 2025, though many were repackaged data.
Anon Eagle’s modus operandi mirrors Anonymous-style operations, using SQL injection and phishing to access sensitive networks. The group has previously leaked data from Indian government sites, including the Election Commission in 2023, often to highlight alleged human rights abuses in Kashmir.
Implications for India’s Cyber Statecraft
The cable reveals India’s sophisticated cyber statecraft, a term coined by Carnegie Endowment to describe the blend of digital tools, diplomacy, and narrative control. The mission’s instructions emphasize “narrative shaping” through civic grievances, street actions, and coalition building with like-minded groups (Sindhi, Baloch, Pashtun). This aligns with India’s broader strategy to counter Pakistan’s UNHRC lobbying on Kashmir, using side-events and NGO endorsements to influence global opinion.
Critics, including international human rights groups, argue this constitutes information manipulation, potentially violating UNHRC guidelines on fair representation. The focus on “community welfare” as OPSEC cover raises ethical questions about using NGOs for geopolitical ends. For Pakistan, the leak is a propaganda win, but it risks escalating cyber tensions, as India has retaliated with its own hacks in the past.
Broader Cyber Conflict
This incident fits into the India-Pakistan cyber rivalry, intensified by the Pahalgam attack. In May 2025, Pakistani hackers claimed breaches of Indian defense sites, leaking data from the Military Engineer Services. India countered with audits and AI-driven threat detection.
Many other smaller attacks followed suit, with each side trying to get a major handle over the narrative stream. The cable’s exposure could prompt India to bolster diplomatic security, while Pakistan leverages it for narrative gains.
Cybersecurity experts like Michael Kugelman, David Sehyeon Baek, and CybelAngel have extensively commented on the 2025 Pakistan-India cyberattacks. Nearly all of these experts emphasize the escalation and impact of narrative warfare.
The consensus is that cyber operations serve as a “dual front” to military actions, given that both neighbors resorted to cyberattacks.
The Human Cost: Kashmir’s Voice in the Digital Age
At its core, the leak underscores the human stakes in Kashmir. The cable’s mobilization of grievances, electricity bills, and lawlessness, aims to frame India’s narrative. However, Kashmiris on the ground face the real hardships. Activists like those from the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society argue that such statecraft silences genuine voices, perpetuating conflict.
For global audiences, the cable leaks highlight the role of cyber leaks in geopolitical disputes. This is also not the first time Kashmir has faced cyberattack: just a month prior, thousands of Kashmiri students got their data leaked and sold on dark web. The question is where do hackers draw the line for the disputed territory.
What’s Next?
For cybersecurity experts, leaks like these raise questions about the ethics of narrative control in an era of information warfare. However, the ground reality remains unchanged. For Pakistan, this leak is a diplomatic coup; for India, a call to refine cyber statecraft. As UNHRC looms, the battle for Kashmir’s story continues: not with weapons, but with words and wires. The human voices in the Valley deserve to be heard beyond the cables.