A mystery woman, suspected of being a RAW operative, approached investigative journalist Fakhar Durrani under the guise of a Dubai-based PR representative, seeking to plant hostile narratives in Pakistani media and later obtain sensitive, unpublished information.
In an exclusive interview with Pakistan Connect, investigative journalist Fakhar Durrani revealed how he was approached by the suspected RAW female operative and the extent of foreign influence inside Pakistan’s media industry.
When asked how he was initially contacted, the journalist said the contact began on November 19, 2025, when a woman approached him through Facebook. She praised his journalistic work and introduced herself as a representative of a Dubai-based public relations firm called Matrix Consultancy.
Initially, she told Durrani that the firm wanted his assistance in publishing articles for clients who supported Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
However, Durrani became suspicious when the proposed content included material targeting the Pakistan Army, Pakistan-China relations and Balochistan, while promoting narratives favourable to Afghanistan.
“When they asked whether I could arrange the publication of anti-army, anti-China-Pakistan and anti-Balochistan content, it immediately raised a red flag,” he said while responding to the question that what made him suspicious.
The network initially approached him for journalistic work but later attempted to determine whether he could obtain sensitive and non-public information.
His concerns increased further on February 27, when the network allegedly asked him to obtain information, videos and photographs concerning clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
He believes the network initially approached him for journalistic work but later attempted to determine whether he could obtain sensitive and non-public information.
“At first, they discussed articles and media publication. After a few months, they tested whether I could arrange information that was not publicly available,” he said.
The network also insisted on paying him through cryptocurrency. When Durrani said he was unfamiliar with crypto transactions, the woman explained how to create an account and receive payments.
When he questioned why normal banking channels could not be used, she allegedly told him that cryptocurrency was “safe and secure” and that the transactions could not be traced.
When asked if the operative disclosed any other journalist, who had been approached with the same intentions, he told Pakistan Connect that the woman claimed that several Pakistani journalists were already working with the network.
However, when Durrani asked for their names or examples of their published articles, she refused.
Several Pakistani journalists were already working with the network.
“They said they worked in the shadows and could not disclose the names of journalists associated with them,” he said.
Durrani stressed that he could not independently verify the claim that other journalists or media workers had accepted similar offers.
Despite the network’s claims of having widespread contacts in Pakistan’s media industry, Durrani said the actual extent of its penetration into the country’s information space could not be independently established.
Fakhar said the woman contacted him on the day his investigation was published and routinely asked whether the article she had paid for had been published.
“I sent her the link to my investigation and told her, ‘Yes, it has been published.’ I also wrote, ‘You picked the wrong journalist for this task,’” Durrani said.
According to him, the woman initially responded by asking what he meant. After reading the investigation, however, she replied: “Ohhh, good for you.”
Durrani said she did not challenge or deny the findings of his investigation, which linked the operation to a hostile intelligence network. Instead, she immediately blocked him on both WhatsApp and Facebook.
In response to a question by the Pakistan Connect about can he reveal the identity of the woman who had approached him, he replied, “The woman used the name Rida Qureshi on Facebook, while her WhatsApp profile displayed the name “Helena.”
Durrani believes both could have been cover identities and said he does not know her real name.
When asked has he or his family have been threatened after the expose’, Durrani said he has not received any direct threat or suspicious message since publishing the investigation. However, senior management at his organisation and some government officials have advised him to take precautions regarding his personal safety.
Investigative journalist reveals evidence of RAW’s anti-Pak army social media propaganda
