Israeli-made Predator spyware
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday categorically rejectedreports and allegations suggesting the use of Israeli-developed spyware inPakistan, terming them baseless and speculative.
Speaking at the weekly press briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson TahirAndrabi dismissed claims regarding the deployment of highly secretiveIsraeli spyware in the country as mere media conjecture. He emphasised thatall such reports were misleading and factually incorrect.
The rebuttal came in response to an investigative report published byAmnesty International on Thursday which alleged that Predator, asophisticated mercenary spyware developed by the Israel-based Intellexaconsortium, had been used in Pakistan. The human rights organisationclaimed its Security Lab uncovered evidence of the spyware targeting ahuman rights lawyer from Balochistan through a malicious link sent viaWhatsApp.
Amnesty International’s technologist, Juer van Bergen, described thefindings as the clearest insight yet into Intellexa’s internal operations,stating that the company retained the ability to access customer logs ofPredator infections worldwide. The report highlighted growing concerns overthe misuse of commercial surveillance tools against journalists, activistsand rights defenders across multiple countries.
When questioned by Independent Urdu, the Foreign Office spokesperson statedunequivocally that there was absolutely no cooperation between Pakistan andIsrael on any matter, particularly regarding spyware or similar tools. “Icompletely reject these allegations,” Andrabi asserted, adding thatPakistan had neither acquired nor deployed any such technology from Israelisources.
The controversy coincides with recent warnings issued by Google to users inseveral countries, including Pakistan, about attempts to infect deviceswith commercial spyware. Similar concerns were raised in 2023 when anIsraeli publication claimed that Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agencyand police had been using hacking technology from an Israeli firm foryears, a claim subsequently denied by the government.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had earlier clarified that while surveillanceand hacking technologies were available on the international market,Pakistan maintained no direct ties with Israel and procured such toolsindependently as per national requirements.
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The Foreign Office maintained that allegations linking Pakistaniauthorities to Israeli-origin spyware remained unsubstantiated and appearedaimed at maligning the country’s institutions.
Source:https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/12/predator-spyware-infections-reveal-brazen-disregard-for-human-rights/
Source:https://www.dawn.com/news/1876543/fo-rejects-reports-of-israeli-spyware-use-in-pakistan
Tags: Pakistan, Israel, Amnesty International, Predator, Intellexa,Spyware, Balochistan
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