RAWALPINDI: Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Thursday accused India of staging another “false-flag operation” after Indian authorities reported the killing of a suspected militant in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Addressing a news conference, DG ISPR said the Indian Army’s corps posted on social media on Sept. 29 claiming that it had conducted an operation in the IIOJK and killed a militant identified as Mohammad Asif, alias Hashim Musa.
Indian reports identified Asif as a former Pakistan Army serviceman and alleged that he had served with the Special Services Group (SSG). Indian media also linked him to militant activities in IIOJK.
Chaudhry rejected the claim and presented Havildar Mohammad Asif to the media, saying the former SSG soldier was alive.
Speaking to reporters, Asif said he was from Pindi Gheb in Attock district and had received calls from friends after they saw reports on social media claiming that he had been killed by Indian forces.
“I was surprised because I was at home. How could the Indian Army have killed me?” Asif said.
He said he retired from the SSG in 2023 after serving the country and was currently working for a private security company in Rawalpindi.
Asif condemned what he described as baseless allegations against him and said he was alive and present before the media.
Indian authorities and media, meanwhile, have reported that a militant identified as Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Moosa was killed during an operation in Budgam district on Sept. 29.
