Pakistan’s military on Thursday rejected Indian claims surrounding a September 29 counterterrorism operation in Indian-administered Kashmir, with Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry describing the incident as a “false flag operation” staged by the Indian military.
Addressing a press conference, Chaudhry said he would present details of what he described as a fabricated operation and challenged India’s account of the alleged militant killed.
According to Chaudhry, the Indian military initially announced on the night of September 29 that, acting on specific intelligence, the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and Central Reserve Police Force had launched a joint search operation in the Korag-Yousmarg area.
Indian authorities said troops observed suspicious activity and came under fire after challenging the individuals, leading to an exchange in which one alleged militant was killed.
Chaudhry said that around seven hours later, Indian authorities announced that the body of a “Pakistan-based LeT terrorist” identified as Mohammad Asif, alias Hashim Moosa, had been recovered.
Indian media reports subsequently alleged that Asif had previously served in the Pakistan Army, providing what they described as his date of birth, service number and military history.
The reports claimed he joined the Pakistan Army in 2000, later served in the Special Services Group (SSG) and retired as a havildar. They further alleged that he had served in Balochistan and had been part of former president Pervez Musharraf’s security detail.
Chaudhry rejected the narrative and questioned the level of detail that emerged following the operation, referring to previous incidents including Uri, Pulwama and Pahalgam, which Pakistan has also described as false-flag operations.
He said Indian authorities later described the man as an LeT commander known as “Musa alias Asif Fauji”, claiming that he had operated in Jammu and Kashmir since 2022 and had been involved in several attacks.
According to the Indian account cited by Chaudhry, the killing followed a six-month intelligence operation and represented a significant blow to the Lashkar-e-Taiba network.
Pakistan’s military, however, maintains that the account is fabricated and that the September 29 incident was staged by India.
The competing claims surrounding the identity of the man killed and the circumstances of the operation have not been independently verified.