DG ISPR details alleged Indian ‘false-flag operation’ in Indian-held Kashmir

RAWALPINDI -- Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Thursday briefed the media on Pakistan’s security situation, including what he described as an Indian “false-flag operation” in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

According to the DG ISPR, an Indian Army corps posted on social media on the night of September 29 about a joint search operation in occupied Kashmir, claiming that a terrorist had been killed during the operation.

He said that approximately seven and a half hours later, on September 30, the Indian military issued another update claiming that the body of a Lashkar-e-Taiba militant had been recovered.

According to the Pakistani military spokesperson, the Indian Army identified the slain individual as Muhammad Asif, alias Hashim Musa, and claimed that he was a Pakistani national. An Indian news agency also reportedly published details of the alleged militant, including a service number, and claimed that Muhammad Asif alias Hashim Musa was a Havildar in the Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG).

Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry further said that the Indian Army displayed an identity card purportedly belonging to Muhammad Asif alias Hashim Musa. Following the Indian military’s claims, the Indian government also issued details, describing the individual as a Lashkar-e-Taiba commander, he added.

The DG ISPR said the Indian account claimed that the alleged militant had been active in occupied Kashmir for the past four years and had carried out several operations there. Indian media also prominently reported the claims, he said.

He said the developments were reminiscent of India’s previous claims regarding the Uri and Pahalgam incidents.

According to the DG ISPR, after the Indian claims emerged, Pakistan traced Muhammad Asif alias Hashim Musa and found that the person whom the Indian Army had claimed to have killed was alive and present in Pakistan.

Havildar Muhammad Asif subsequently appeared before the media and rejected the reports of his death.

Speaking to reporters, Asif said his friends had informed him that he had been reported killed. He said he told them that he was alive and standing among them.

He added that he later learned that Indian media outlets had used his personal details in their reports.

Asif said he had informed his former unit about the matter so that the record could be clarified. “I live with my family in Rawalpindi. I am Havildar Muhammad Asif and I am retired from the SSG,” he said.

The DG ISPR said the episode had, in his view, exposed India to international scrutiny. He further alleged that India was a major supporter of terrorism and accused New Delhi of providing funding to organisations including the Mukti Bahini, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

He also alleged that Muslims in India were being subjected to terrorism and said members of the Sikh and Christian communities also faced violence.

The DG ISPR further accused India of extending what he described as its support for terrorism beyond its borders, saying that India “carries out terrorism and takes pride in it.”