Pakistan’s New Terror Strategy: ISI Replaces OGWs With Drones In J&K, Posing Major Security Challenge | India News
Drones have replaced overground workers (OGWs) due to specific tactics, techniques, and operational changes by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The use of drones replacing overground workers (OGWs) in Jammu and Kashmir is Pakistan’s new strategic strategy, which is a result of specific tactics, techniques and operational changes hatched by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
A recent intelligence report has brought to the notice of officials that Pakistan and ISI have made operational changes in terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
Indian security forces’ crackdown on the terror ecosystem, including the arrest of nearly 1000 overground workers (OGWs) in Jammu and Kashmir since 2020, has destroyed the human network of Pakistan and other terror handlers, so they have now started using technology to replace humans. Drones are now being used for weapons, logistics and communication without putting human handlers at risk.
OGWs traditionally used to spy on routes, smuggle weapons, and maintain contact with locals. Drones now handle 70-80% of these tasks, and OGWs have been limited to minimal roles such as local coordination in PoK.
Drones equipped with high-resolution cameras and night vision (e.g., DJI Mavic 3 or modified Chinese Wing Loong II) have been deployed to monitor Indian border posts, especially in Rajouri, Poonch, Kishtwar and Kupwara. These drones send live feeds of the Indian Army patrolling the borders to terror masters in PoK.
Hexacopters and quadcopters, now used by Pakistan with payloads of 5-20 kg, cross the border and drop AK-47s, grenades, IEDs and heroin. More than 200 such consignments have been destroyed by security forces in Punjab and Jammu between 2023-2025.
Drones also guide small terror groups of up to 5 members to cross the LoC, avoiding Indian Army ambushes using GPS and real-time images.
According to intelligence inputs, drones were used in an ISI meeting held in Muzaffarabad (PoK) in May 2025 to detect infiltration routes in high-altitude areas like the Pir Panjal.
The drones used are modified DJI Mavic Pro and Phantom 4 drones costing $1,000-2,000, equipped with extended-range batteries and encrypted communication modules. They are also suspected to be using Chinese Wing Loong II drones with a range of 1,500 km and a payload of 200 kg, and possibly Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones. These are launched from bases in PoK.
There are also reports of ESI-supported workshops in Pakistan that make drones with 3D-printed parts, costing $500-1,500, which are then used for smuggling and surveillance. About 1,000 drone flights were recorded along the international border and Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab in 2024-2025.
Similar efforts are reported to have increased in 2024-2025. The Punjab Police and BSF intercepted 75 drones in 2024, from which 150 kg of heroin, 50 AK-47s and 200 grenades were recovered. In June 2025, a drone was intercepted in Rajouri and 5 kg of RDX belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed was recovered.
Reports also suggest that the site of the drone attack was monitored before the Pahalgam attack and weapons were dropped. The drone is also said to have mapped the target area, and the crowded market, a few days before.
India has also now deployed an anti-drone system along the Line of Control. It uses radar, radio frequency jammers and laser-based neutralization. It is 70% effective against drones but has difficulty detecting low-altitude (50 meters) UAVs.
Small drones flying below 100 meters can evade radars. The detection rate of night operations using thermal cloaking is reduced by up to 40%.
The ISI is also training terrorists in PoK to operate drones, replacing OGWs. The training camps in Kotli and Rawalkot focus on drone assembly and piloting. Intelligence reports say drone parts and technology are being used from China.
Experts say Pakistan blames “non-state elements” for drone activities and avoids direct responsibility despite the ISI’s involvement. Over the past three years, 300 kg of narcotics, over 100 rifles, 500 grenades and 50 kg of explosives dropped by drones along the borders have been recovered.
Drone-based activities by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir are now a serious and emerging security challenge for Indian security forces.
Experts opine that drones equipped with high-resolution cameras and night vision can make it easier to plan infiltrations and attacks accurately by providing real-time information about the positions of Indian troops, patrol routes and border outposts.
In addition, drones can deliver small but powerful payloads (5-20 kg), including AK-47s, grenades and RDX, directly to terrorists in remote areas such as the Pir Panjal and Shamsawari forests. More than 200 such weapons were seized in 2024-2025, but it is estimated that 30% remain undetected.
Replacing OGWs with drones eliminates the risk of human terrorists being captured or killed, thereby securing Pakistan’s terror ecosystem.
The rugged terrain, dense forests and high altitudes of the Jammu and Kashmir borders and the Line of Control provide protection to low-flying drones, which are difficult to detect below 100 meters.
According to reports, drones also deliver logistics to terrorists hiding in these areas, allowing their operations to last longer. There are over 20 drone launch sites in Kotli, Bagh and Mirpur in PoK, which are within 10-50 kilometers of the Line of Control, making fast flights possible.
These drones operate day and night, and 60% of the flights use thermal cloaking or low-altitude flight to evade radars, severely affecting the response capability of security forces. In view of the frequent intrusions by drones, over 1,000 BSF and Army personnel are now engaged in drone surveillance in Jammu and Kashmir.
Reports also suggest that according to intelligence estimates, drones have increased successful infiltration by 20% in 2025, and 50-60 terrorists have entered Jammu and Kashmir. The support provided by drones can enable terrorists to continue their activities for weeks from hideouts located on high Parvati terrain, as seen in the encounters in Kishtwar and Rajouri in 2025.
