Desk: Pakistan exposed yet another false flag operation of India when Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Lt-General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry produced before the media Havaldar (retd) Muhammad Asif of the Special Services Group (SSG), who was allegedly killed by the Indian military in a fake encounter in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Addressing a press conference, the ISPR DG said the episode started on the night of Sept 29 when an Indian corps posted on social media that a joint search operation had been launched in the general area of Korag, Yousmarg, during which one terrorist had been neutralised.

Nearly seven hours later, the Indian Army issued an update claiming that the body of a “Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist”, identified as Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Moosa, had been recovered along with war-like stores in the general area of Palmaidan.

“You might be recalling Uri, Pahalgam and Pulwama — a very interesting story was being cooked and the story is now complete,” the ISPR DG said, adding that there was a lot of evidence available.

He then produced Havildar Muhammad Asif alive before the media, comprehensively demolishing India’s fabricated account and exposing another in a series of staged incidents designed to manufacture a Pakistani terrorism narrative in IIOJK.

Chaudhry noted that India had claimed that Muhammad Asif was involved in attacks in different areas. “India had claimed that Asif was a retired Special Services Group (SSG) Havildar,” he added.

Shortly after, Indian news agency ANI published a detailed account of Mohammad Asif.

Speaking alongside Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Muhammad Asif said he was very much alive and had been living in his native district of Attock since his retirement from the Pakistan Army in 2023.

He said he was surprised to hear the fake news of his death at the hands of the Indian Army. “Yesterday evening, I received phone calls from friends informing me that Indian media and social media platforms were reporting that the Indian Army had killed me in an encounter in Kashmir. They asked me where I was. I told them that I was alive and well, sitting at home, Alhamdulillah.”

He said soon after he started receiving calls from unknown Indian numbers inquiring about his personal details and asking whether he was related to the person mentioned in the news.

“I repeatedly blocked those numbers. Shortly afterwards, I saw news broadcasts showing my photograph and personal military record, claiming that I had been martyred in Kashmir,” the ex-SSG commando further said. “I was utterly astonished. I was sitting at home, yet they were claiming to have killed me in Kashmir,” he added.

Asif said he immediately informed his former unit leadership to clarify that he was safe and at home, so that no false impressions or accusations could be created. “They advised me to block the calls and informed me that the ISPR would contact me to present the truth.”

He said that when the ISPR reached out and asked about the situation, he confirmed that he was alive. “They asked me to come forward and state the facts publicly,” he added.

He said that he joined Pakistan Army’s Artillery Corps in 2000 and later in 2005, joined the SSG and retired from service in 2023. He also worked with a private security firm for three years.

He regretted that allegations made by India against him and his country, declaring the claim that he was involved in cross-border terrorism are entirely false, fabricated and baseless. He strongly condemned those lies propagated by the Indian media. “Alhamdulillah, I am alive and standing before you today. There is no doubt about my identity. I have my official CNIC and military identity documents with me.” Asif added that throughout his service in the SSG, he was trained to fight face-to-face with valour, not from behind cover or through deceit.

The ISPR DG said India could not “externalise” its internal issues of oppression and torture by blaming Pakistan for incidents in the IIOJK. “You have a great internal problem of oppression and torture and you cannot externalise it and put blame on Pakistan,” he said.

Highlighting the habit of staging false flag operations against Pakistan, the DG ISPR said New Delhi orchestrates such incidents to cover its own tracks of terrorism, adding that India is the biggest sponsor of terrorism in the world.

He said this habit of false flag operations has further encouraged India to resort to transnational killings. Lt General Chaudhry further said the episode of making false claims is a glaring example of a fabricated narrative, adding that allegations against Pakistan should be substantiated with evidence and reiterated Pakistan’s position that if India has evidence regarding any incident, it should present it through an appropriate forum.

The DG ISPR warned the Indian leadership against any misadventure as consequence of the false flag operation which has been exposed very early.

He told a questioner that the adversary would be punished severely on their strategic mistake and the retribution would be very harsh. “If they want to do anything and stage any drama, they are welcome. But let it be clear, this time we will not leave them so easily and the cost which be inflicted on their strategic folly would be severe and the retribution would be very harsh,” Lt. General Chaudhry said.

He said that there are many reasons as to why India continues to stage such dramas which include: to cover its own track of terrorism, oppression in Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, obsession with Pakistan, Bollywood Effect and delusional shining India complex. He questioned as to why Indian corps commander and brigade commander did so and allowed to stage the drama. “You are a political army and your agenda is Hindutva driven and pleasing your political masters by creating fake stories and selling them.”

“Unfortunately, we are facing a mean enemy. This is unfortunate that we have a neighbour which is encounter specialist, we have a neighbour which considers terrorism as solution to problems, we have a neighbour which always takes cover behind false stories and a neighbour that declares an alive person like Asif as dead,” he said.