Man Indian Army Claimed It Killed as ‘Pakistani Terrorist’ Appears Alive at Military Briefing

Pakistan military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Thursday presented before the media a retired Special Services Group (SSG) soldier whom, according to the spokesperson, the Indian military had claimed to have killed as a Pakistani terrorist in Indian-occupied Kashmir.

Speaking at a press conference in Rawalpindi, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) exposed India’s “false flag operation” staged on September 29 and using the identity of retired Havaldar Muhammad Asif to link Pakistan with terrorism.

According to Lt Gen Chaudhry, an Indian Army corps posted on social media on the night of September 29 that its forces had conducted an operation in Indian-occupied Kashmir and killed a suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist identified as Muhammad Asif, alias Hashim Musa.

He said subsequent Indian claims identified the alleged militant as a retired SSG soldier from Pakistan. The Pakistan military spokesperson said an Indian news agency also published what it claimed were details of Asif’s military service, including a service number, while linking him to several attacks.

Lt Gen Chaudhry said Indian authorities had accused Asif of involvement in multiple incidents, including the Pahalgam attack, and claimed that three of his associates had also been killed.

The military spokesperson then presented Muhammad Asif before journalists at the briefing.

“I am from Pindi Gheb in Attock district. Yesterday, I received calls from my friends saying that Indian forces had killed me,” Asif told reporters.

He said his friends had learnt through social media that he had allegedly been killed by Indian forces.

“I was surprised that I was at my home, so how could the Indian Army have killed me?” he said.

Asif said he retired from the SSG in 2023 and currently works for a security company and lives in Rawalpindi.

“I am alive, I live in Rawalpindi and I am standing before you,” he said, rejecting the allegations attributed to Indian authorities.

Lt Gen Chaudhry described the episode as evidence supporting Pakistan’s narrative that India had staged a false-flag operation. He also accused New Delhi of attempting to associate Pakistan with violence in Indian-Occupied Kashmir and of using such incidents to divert attention from conditions in the territory.

The Military spokesperson further said that India sponsors terrorist organisations to carry out terrorism in Pakistan. He said there were six reasons behind what he described as India’s “false flag drama.”

“First, we know that India is the biggest country spreading terrorism around the world. India’s funding of Mukti Bahini and the TTP is no secret,” he said.

He said “We have a neighbour that believes everything can be resolved through lies.”

Lt Gen Chaudhry warned that Pakistan was prepared to respond to any military action from India, saying there would be “no compromise” on the country’s security.

“If they want to do something, let them. We are always ready,” he said, according to remarks delivered at the briefing.

Pakistan Reaffirms Commitment to Makkah Defence Pact

Responding to questions about the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, Lt Gen Chaudhry said Pakistan remained fully committed to implementing the defence arrangement.

He said details of defence cooperation under the agreement were confidential and could not be discussed publicly.

Pakistan’s commitment to the security of the Two Holy Mosques is “absolute,” the Pakistan military spokesperson said.