On November 10, 2025, a car bomb exploded near Delhi’s historic Red Fort, killing at least 13 people (including the suspected suicide bomber) and injuring over 20 others. The attack, described by Indian authorities as a “heinous terror incident” perpetrated by “anti-national forces,” is the deadliest in the Indian capital since the 2011 Delhi High Court bombing. It is being investigated under anti-terrorism laws, with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) leading the probe. The blast occurred during evening rush hour in a crowded area, amplifying its impact on public safety and national security. A nefarious connection to Turkey with sophisticated soft-power networks, is being probed by authorities.
The Turkey Connection: Unravelling the Delhi Blast Conspiracy
Indian investigators have traced the roots of the Delhi bombing to a sophisticated terror network with significant operational links to Turkey. At the center of the probe are two Kashmiri doctors, Dr. Umar un Nabi, identified as the suicide bomber who perished in the blast, and Dr. Muzammil Shakeel (also known as Muzammil Ganaie), who traveled to Turkey earlier in 2025. Intelligence reports indicate that during their visit, they met with a Jaish-e-Mohammed handler known as “Ukasa” (or possibly “Jes Muhammad”), operating out of Ankara. This meeting allegedly served as the catalyst for a broader conspiracy against India, with discussions centering on plans for coordinated bombings across Delhi, including high-profile targets like the Red Fort ahead of Republic Day 2026.
The investigation has exposed a disturbing pattern of radicalisation among highly educated professionals, predominantly doctors of Kashmiri origin. Ukasa is believed to have orchestrated the recruitment and ideological grooming of this “white-collar” terror cell during their Turkey sojourn, providing logistical support, funding, and operational guidance through encrypted communication platforms like Session and Signal. The module’s connections extend to Ansar Ghazwat ul Hind, Al Qaeda’s South Asian affiliate, suggesting a convergence of terror networks with transnational reach. CCTV footage captured Umar Nabi leaving a mosque near Turkman Gate just hours before the attack, corroborating the timeline established by investigators.
Following the blast, authorities have detained over a dozen suspects, including medical professionals from Al Falah University and individuals such as Adeel Ahmad Rather, Shaheen Sayeed, and Maulvi Hafeez Mohammad Ishtiaq. Evidence seized through digital forensics and interrogations points to a well-funded operation with ambitions for serial bombings across the capital. The revelations have positioned Turkey as a critical node in the terror module’s activation, raising urgent questions about cross-border radicalisation networks and the exploitation of professional communities for violent extremism. The ongoing probe continues to uncover the extent of foreign involvement and the mechanisms through which this lethal conspiracy was assembled.
Turkey’s Response and Denials
Turkey has categorically rejected these allegations, labelling them a “malicious disinformation campaign” designed to strain bilateral ties with India. The Turkish Directorate of Communications’ Centre for Countering Disinformation stated that the claims lack any factual basis and emphasised Turkey’s commitment to global counter-terrorism efforts, including its role in the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and NATO policies. Ankara urged the public to disregard such reports, asserting that it “firmly rejects all acts of terrorism, regardless of where or by whom they are committed.”
The Kashmir Connection
However, this isn’t the first time Turkey has been connected to Kashmir. Dr Mubeen Shah is a Kashmiri businessman, activist, and former president of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in Srinagar. Born and raised in the Kashmir Valley, he is a vocal advocate for Kashmiri self-determination and has been in self-imposed exile in Istanbul, Turkey, since around 2019–2020. There, he operates as the President of Kashmir House, Turkey and Chairman of the Kashmir Diaspora Coalition (KDC), a network promoting Kashmiri rights globally. His business interests include exporting Kashmiri handicrafts like carpets, shawls, and pashmina to markets in Turkey, Malaysia, and beyond, establishing him as a “tycoon” in the diaspora trade sector. Shah holds a PhD, likely in economics or a related field based on his KCCI role, and uses platforms like social media and international conferences to critique Indian policies in Kashmir, including the revocation of Article 370 in 2019, alleged human rights abuses, and what he terms “demographic terrorism” through settlement policies.
Shah & Turkey: The Plot Thickens
Since relocating to Istanbul after 2019, Shah has transformed Turkey into his primary operational base, capitalising on Ankara’s increasingly vocal support for the Kashmir cause. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s repeated references to Kashmir in UN General Assembly speeches and other international forums have created a conducive environment for Kashmiri activists in exile. Shah has strategically positioned himself within this geopolitical landscape, establishing Kashmir House, a cultural and economic centre designed to serve Istanbul’s Kashmiri diaspora. His handicraft business, which purportedly generates substantial revenue through exports valued in the millions according to unverified diaspora sources, functions as both a commercial enterprise and a funding mechanism for his advocacy work. This dual-purpose model allows Shah to maintain financial independence while advancing his political agenda under the guise of cultural preservation and economic empowerment.
Indian authorities have consistently portrayed Mubeen Shah’s activism as a dangerous form of separatist propaganda that, whether intentionally or not, provides ideological and material support to militant groups operating in Kashmir. In 2024, the Jammu and Kashmir Centre for Countering Disinformation (JKCCD) published a detailed thread titled “Kashmir The Terror Industry (Part 03): Mubeen Shah,” which placed him squarely within what it characterised as a “terror industry” ecosystem. The thread alleged that Shah’s Istanbul base functions as more than a cultural centre, serving instead as a nerve centre for anti-India propaganda and a potential conduit for funding Kashmiri exile networks through his handicraft business. Most seriously, the JKCCD suggested that Shah’s commercial operations could serve as cover for hawala channels, informal money transfer systems often exploited for separatist financing.
The Legal Angle
The legal dimensions of this scrutiny materialised in 2020 when Shah became the subject of a First Information Report filed under India’s anti-terror legislation, likely the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The charges reportedly included sedition and terror financing, connected to both his tenure with the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry and his subsequent exile activities in Turkey. Shah responded by filing a writ petition in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court seeking to quash the FIR, arguing that the charges constituted political persecution designed to silence legitimate advocacy for Kashmiri rights. As of 2024, the petition remained pending in the courts, with Shah maintaining his innocence and characterising the legal action as part of a broader pattern of harassment targeting Kashmiri civil society voices who challenge New Delhi’s policies in the region.
Through the Kashmir Diaspora Council (KDC), Shah has built an extensive network of global Kashmiri organisations, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States, coordinating lobbying efforts at international forums including the United Nations. Indian intelligence agencies view these activities with deep suspicion, alleging that Shah’s diaspora networks intersect with elements of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), a Kashmiri separatist coalition whose various factions have documented historical ties to Pakistan-based militant organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba. These allegations suggest that the boundary between non-violent advocacy and support for armed separatism may be deliberately blurred within such networks.
No public evidence directly ties Shah to operational terror acts such as bombings or arms smuggling. His profile aligns more with “soft” influence operations than kinetic terrorism, but Indian agencies monitor him as a “high-value target” in the Kashmir ecosystem. As of November 16, 2025, Shah remains active on X (@mobyshah), with over 5,000 followers, posting on Kashmiri rights and economic issues. He has not commented on the Red Fort blast. Indian officials view figures like Shah as enablers in a “hybrid warfare” strategy blending legitimate activism with terror support, straining India Turkey ties amid the blast fallout.
