Pakistani hackers have claimed they have targeted Indian defence websites amid the ongoing heightened tension between the two neighbouring nations following the Pahalgam attack on April 22 that left 26 people dead.

An X handle named Pakistan Cyber Force claimed hackers have access to sensitive data of the Military Engineer Services and the Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis.

The group, sources told NDTV, has also tried to deface the website of Armoured Vehicle Nigam Limited, a Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Defence.

The sources said the website of Armoured Vehicle Nigam Limited has been taken offline for a thorough audit to assess the extent of any potential damage caused by the hacking attempt.

Cybersecurity experts, the sources told the Indian news channel, are actively monitoring cyberspace to detect any additional attacks, particularly those that may be sponsored by threat actors linked to Pakistan.

Pahalgam Attack

On April 22, 2025, the terrorists- belonging to The Resistance Front (TRF), which is an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)- asked the victims to chant Islamic verses (kalma) and made them pull down their pants to be sure of their their non-Muslim religious identities (read circumcision)  before gunning them down before their families, including wives, children and daughters.

The massacre triggered nationwide outrage and escalated India-Pakistan tensions as New Delhi vowed to avenge the killings.

In an immediate response, India suspended the landmark Indus River water-sharing treaty and closed the Attari-Wagah road border, which acts as a lifeline of Indo-Pak trade and people-to-people ties, besides expelling diplomats, downsizing high commissions, and issuing a 48-hour deadline to Pakistani visa holders present in India to leave.