Pakistan’s military accused India on Thursday of orchestrating a “false flag” operation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, challenging the Indian Army’s narrative surrounding the killing of a suspected militant later identified as a former Pakistan army soldier.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry outlined the sequence of events during a press briefing. He explained that the incident began on the night of September 29, when the Indian Army unit responsible for Kashmir announced on social media platform X that it had initiated a joint search operation in the Kurag-Yusmarg area based on “specific intelligence inputs.”
The initial Indian Army report stated that troops from the army, police, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) observed suspicious activity, challenged the suspected militants, who then opened fire, leading to an exchange in which one militant was killed. Lt-Gen Chaudhry read this account while highlighting the timeline.
On the morning of September 30, the Indian Army issued a further update, reporting that during an early-morning search in the Palmaidan area, forces recovered the body of another suspected militant. This individual was identified as Mohammad Asif, also known as Hashim Moosa, described as a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant.
Subsequently, Indian news agency ANI provided additional details, identifying Asif as a former soldier of the Pakistan Army. Lt-Gen Chaudhry noted that Indian authorities later revised their description, naming the slain militant as Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Musa, also called Asif Fauji, after initially presenting a different version of the operation.
“Two hours later they said, ‘No, we will come and tell you what happened,’” Chaudhry remarked, referring to the updated Indian Army communication. The revised account described the operation as intelligence-led, resulting in the neutralization of Musa, who had been active in Jammu and Kashmir since 2022 and implicated in several high-profile attacks.
Indian authorities framed the operation as part of a sustained campaign beginning in May 2026, rather than an isolated encounter, claiming Musa was killed after six months of targeted efforts. They attributed multiple attacks to Musa, including those in Halan (August 2023), DKG (December 2023), Kandi (May 2023), Shah Sitar (May 2024), Shiv Khori (June 2024), Gagan Geer (October 2024), Boota Pahari (October 2024), and Basira (April 2025).
India characterized Musa’s death as a significant setback to the Lashkar-e-Taiba network and reported that three other militants were killed in separate operations. Among them were Junaid Bhatt, killed in Mahadev, and another militant named Yasir.
Lt-Gen Chaudhry emphasized that these details were being presented by Indian authorities to substantiate the identity and alleged activities of Musa alias Asif Fauji. ANI, Asif was born on March 7, 1980, joined the Pakistan Army in 2000, and retired at the rank of havildar. Indian reports also claimed he served in the Special Services Group (SSG) and performed VIP security duties.
“An interesting story is now getting cooked,” Chaudhry commented, suggesting a pattern reminiscent of earlier incidents Pakistan has labeled as “false flag” operations. The Indian military has released a photograph and an identity document purportedly supporting their version of events.
India maintains that the slain man was a Pakistan-based LeT militant involved in regional militant activities. Indian authorities have previously accused Pakistan-based militants of orchestrating the April 2025 Pahalgam attack, allegations Islamabad denies.
Chaudhry concluded by calling the recent incident another example of a “false flag operation” engineered by India. The conflicting narratives remain unverified independently.
