Pakistan’s military has rejected Indian claims that a former Pakistani soldier was killed during an operation in Jammu and Kashmir, presenting the man alive at a press conference in Rawalpindi.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the case involved what he described as an alleged “false-flag” operation by India. He presented Muhammad Asif during Thursday’s briefing and disputed Indian reports identifying him as Lashkar-e-Taiba militant Hashim Musa.
Pakistan Presents Muhammad Asif
According to the Pakistani military, Indian authorities reported on September 30 that security forces had recovered the body of a militant identified as Muhammad Asif alias Hashim Musa after an operation in the Korag-Yousmarg area.
Indian media subsequently reported that the man was a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant and alleged that he had previously served in Pakistan’s Special Services Group.
During the press conference, Asif said he was alive and living with his family in Rawalpindi. He said he had joined the Pakistan Army in 2000, entered the SSG in 2005 and retired in 2023.
India’s Account Differs
The Indian Army has maintained that Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Musa was killed in an encounter in Budgam. Indian reports said his body was recovered after a joint operation involving the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the CRPF.
The Indian side also linked Musa to several attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, including the 2025 Pahalgam attack, according to Indian media reports.
Pakistan has rejected those claims and questioned the identification presented by Indian authorities. The two sides have therefore given sharply different accounts of the man identified in the Kashmir operation.
