A surge in orders for high-resolution satellite imagery of Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, placed with U.S.-based Maxar Technologies just weeks before a deadly terror attack on April 22, 2025, has sparked controversy and raised serious questions about the company’s partnerships and oversight.
The attack, which claimed 26 civilian lives, mostly tourists, in the Baisaran Valley, is a clear act of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, prompting India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor. Allegations that Maxar’s imagery may have been accessed by a Pakistan-based firm with a history of illicit activities, coupled with the company’s subsequent removal of the firm from its partner list, have intensified concerns about the misuse of sensitive geospatial data and the adequacy of Maxar’s vetting processes.
The Pahalgam Terror Attack and Operation Sindoor
On April 22, 2025, four Pakistan-sponsored terrorists armed with M4 carbines and AK-47s launched a brutal attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley, a popular tourist destination surrounded by dense pine forests. The assault killed 26 civilians, primarily Hindus, and left several others injured, marking one of the deadliest terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir in recent years.
In response, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, a series of precision missile strikes targeting nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu-Kashmir (PoJK). The operation, executed with remarkable accuracy, destroyed key infrastructure of terrorist groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), including the Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur and Markaz Taiba in Muridke, among others.
Satellite imagery released by Maxar Technologies and accessed by Reuters provided stark evidence of the damage, showing collapsed buildings, craters, and debris at the targeted sites.
India’s military response, which also neutralised multiple Pakistani air defence systems, military bases, and radio stations, forced Pakistan to seek a stoppage of fire. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, in a May 8 briefing, emphasised that India’s actions were a direct response to the Pahalgam attack and that the choice of de-escalation lay with Pakistan, which had initiated the escalation.
The Controversy: Surge in Satellite Imagery Orders
The controversy surrounding Maxar Technologies emerged when reports revealed an unprecedented spike in orders for high-resolution satellite imagery of Pahalgam and surrounding militarily sensitive areas, including Anantnag, Poonch, Rajouri, and Baramulla, in the months leading up to the attack. According to an exclusive report by ThePrint, Maxar received 12 orders between February 2 and February 22, 2025—double its usual volume—with purchases made on February 12, 15, 18, 21, and 22. No orders were placed in March, but a single order was logged on April 12, just 10 days before the attack, followed by two additional requests on April 24 and 29. Each high-resolution image, with pixel resolutions ranging from 15 cm to 30 cm, costs upwards of Rs 3 lakh, increasing with higher clarity.
High-resolution satellite imagery is a critical tool for defence agencies worldwide, enabling the monitoring of troop movements, weapon installations, infrastructure development, and illegal activities like smuggling or border crossings.
An ISRO scientist, speaking to ThePrint, highlighted its importance: “Satellite surveillance has become the backbone of any country’s intelligence. While it is unclear whether these images could have been used for planning the April 22 attacks in Pahalgam, India could ask Maxar to conduct an investigation into the ordered images.”
The scientist also expressed concern over Maxar’s open commercial model, noting that paying partners can access orders placed by others unless marked confidential, raising the risk of sensitive data falling into adversarial hands.
The timing of the imagery orders, particularly their surge in February 2025, has led to speculation that they may have been used for pre-strike surveillance by those planning the Pahalgam attack.
India’s defence community has voiced alarm, with one expert at the DefSpace Conference in Delhi earlier this year questioning Maxar’s data sales to Pakistan. “Maxar cannot claim neutrality when selling the same data to both sides in a conflict zone, especially when one of those sides is actively supporting terror networks,” the expert stated.
Maxar’s Partnership with Business Systems International (BSI)
The controversy deepened with revelations that Maxar had partnered with Business Systems International Pvt Ltd (BSI), a Pakistan-based geospatial firm, in 2023, despite BSI’s history of illicit activities. Orders for Pahalgam imagery began appearing on Maxar’s portal in June 2024, shortly after BSI was onboarded as a partner. BSI, headquartered in Karachi with branches in Lahore, Islamabad, and Faisalabad, claims to have been operational since 1980, specialising in high-performance computing, data mining, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), and command and control systems.
BSI’s founder, Obaidullah Syed, a Pakistani-American businessman, is at the centre of the controversy. In September 2020, the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), in collaboration with the Defence Criminal Investigative Service and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, uncovered Syed’s illegal activities.
Between 2006 and 2015, Syed and his companies, BSI Pakistan and BSI USA (based in Chicago), exported high-performance servers, computing platforms, and software solutions to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) without the required licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce. PAEC, a Pakistani government agency responsible for designing and testing nuclear weapon components and developing ballistic missiles, is designated by the U.S. as an entity posing a significant threat to national security, foreign policy, and the economy.
Syed misrepresented the end-users of these exports, claiming they were destined for Pakistani universities and his businesses, and falsified U.S. government shipping documents, including Shippers Export Declarations. In October 2021, Syed pleaded guilty to violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and foreign trade regulations. In May 2022, he was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison and ordered to forfeit $247,000 (approximately PKR 6.93 crores) in criminal proceeds. BSI was also charged as a corporate defendant in the conspiracy. Chicago-based HSI special agent Angie Salazar hailed the sentencing as “a significant victory” in preventing the illicit transfer of sensitive U.S. technology.
Despite Syed’s conviction and BSI’s documented links to Pakistan’s nuclear and defence agencies, Maxar enlisted BSI as a partner in 2023. HSI’s 2020 complaint explicitly noted that BSI purchased satellite imagery from a Colorado-based company, later identified as Maxar and resold it to unspecified arms of the Pakistani government. The investigation also revealed Syed’s deep connections with Pakistan’s National Development Complex (NDC), an aerospace and defence agency under the Ministry of Defence. Emails exchanged between Syed, BSI employees, and Pakistani officials, including the principal scientific officer of Pakistan’s Directorate of Science Division, confirmed monetary transactions with PAEC and NDC, with one email from April 28, 2015, attaching a bank check from NDC.
Maxar’s Response and BSI’s Delisting
Following ThePrint’s May 9, 2025, report exposing the surge in Pahalgam imagery orders, Maxar faced intense scrutiny. On May 10, the company issued a statement denying that BSI had placed any orders for Pahalgam imagery, either through tasking or archived access. “Our records indicate that BSI has neither placed any tasking orders of Pahalgam or the surrounding areas this year, nor have they ordered any of the imagery of those areas through our archive,” said Tomi Maxted, Maxar’s head of corporate and product communications. Maxar called media reports suggesting otherwise “false and misleading.”
Hours after ThePrint’s report, Maxar quietly removed BSI from its website’s partner list, where it had been listed until May 9. The company has not confirmed whether BSI was officially delisted or provided details on why it partnered with a firm linked to federal crimes without conducting a background check. ThePrint’s attempts to contact BSI were unsuccessful, with emails bouncing back and LinkedIn messages going unanswered.
Geospatial experts have questioned the necessity of satellite imagery for the Pahalgam attack, given the availability of local support and sleeper cells. Nathan Ruser, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, reviewed Maxar’s imaging patterns and found no abnormal activity, noting that satellite imagery is now easily accessible through mobile apps and multiple providers, including U.S., European, Chinese, and Israeli firms.
An intelligence officer told India Today TV, “When you have local support and logistics in the form of sleeper cells, you don’t need fresh satellite imagery to execute a terror plot that involved shooting at tourists from point-blank range.”
Implications for India and Global Security
The Maxar-BSI controversy has significant implications for India’s national security and the global regulation of commercial satellite imagery. Maxar, a leading provider of geospatial insights, serves clients like India’s Ministry of Defence, ISRO, and 11 Indian space tech startups, as well as government and defense agencies worldwide. Its high-resolution satellites, capable of capturing images with 15 cm to 30 cm resolution, are integral to tools like Google Maps and critical for national security applications. India itself relied on Maxar’s imagery during Operation Sindoor to confirm the destruction of terror infrastructure, highlighting the dual-use nature of such data.
The open commercial model of Maxar, where paying partners can access non-confidential orders, raises concerns about sensitive data being exploited by adversarial actors. India’s defence community has called for diplomatic pressure on the U.S. to restrict Pakistan’s access to such data, citing precedents where the U.S. has compelled companies to sever ties with problematic partners.
The controversy also highlights the need for stronger oversight of commercial satellite imagery providers. An ISRO scientist described Maxar’s decision to partner with BSI as “alarming,” urging India to push for stricter regulations under its Remote Sensing Data Policy, Geospatial Data Guidelines, and Spacecom Policy. The scientist warned that dependence on third-party surveillance data poses inherent risks, as commercial entities prioritise profit over loyalty.
Current Status and Ongoing Investigations
Maxar has announced a review of its reseller and partner policies in response to the controversy, but it has not clarified whether BSI’s delisting is permanent or detailed the circumstances of their initial partnership. The company’s ties to over 120 private partners worldwide, including 11 Indian firms like Antrix Corporation Ltd and Satpalda Geospatial Services, highlight its extensive network and the challenges of ensuring data security.
India’s government is likely to press Maxar for a thorough investigation into the Pahalgam imagery orders, as suggested by ISRO scientists. The NIA’s ongoing probe into the attack may also explore potential links between the imagery and the planning of the assault, though no conclusive evidence has yet emerged.
It is important to mention here that, in March 2025, the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, under a Trump administration directive, suspended Ukraine’s access to Maxar’s Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery system, hampering Ukraine’s ability to track Russian forces.
This move, which significantly impacted Ukraine’s ability to monitor Russian troop movements, demonstrated that Washington is not only capable of intervening in the operations of private satellite firms but also willing to do so when it aligns with shifting geopolitical priorities.
Given Pakistan’s military and intelligence links to terrorism, India has strong grounds to expect similar U.S. action. With escalating tensions and risks of Pakistani retaliation. With rising tensions and the potential for retaliatory action from Pakistan leading to escalation, this matter is more urgent than ever.
The Maxar Technologies controversy has exposed critical vulnerabilities in the global satellite imagery market, particularly the risks posed by inadequate vetting of partners with ties to illicit activities. The surge in Pahalgam imagery orders, coinciding with BSI’s partnership, has fuelled suspicions of a possible link to the April 22 terror attack, though Maxar’s denial and expert scepticism suggest the need for further investigation.
As Operation Sindoor demonstrates India’s resolve to combat terrorism, the Maxar-BSI saga serves as a stark reminder of the complex interplay between technology, commerce, and national security in an increasingly volatile world.
Comments