• Indian media claimed Mohammad Asif was martyred in held Kashmir
• Lt Gen Chaudhry insists counterterror fight can’t be sacrificed at altar of politics
• Accuses India of using Pakistan-linked narratives to externalise internal issues
• Warns of severe response to any escalation
ISLAMABAD: Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Thursday rejected Indian claims that a former Pakistan Army commando had been killed as a militant in occupied Kashmir by presenting the man alive before journalists and stressed that Pakistan’s counterterrorism fight “cannot be sacrificed at the altar of anyone’s politics”.
The military spokesman said the episode was a “false flag” staged by the Indian “political military”.
He presented a five-point timeline of claims made by Indian military authorities, government institutions and media outlets. The appearance of Mohammad Asif, a retired Pakistan Army havildar, contradicted Indian reports identifying him as a militant killed in an operation.
According to Lt Gen Chaudhry, the episode began on Sept 29 when the Indian Army’s Chinar Corps said a joint operation involving the army, police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) had been launched in the Korag-Yousmarg area of occupied Kashmir.
The following morning, the corps said the body of a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant had been recovered. Indian news agency ANI subsequently identified the purported deceased as Mohammad Asif, while Indian government institutions also repeated claims regarding the alleged militant.
Indian authorities claimed that “Musa alias Asif Fauji” had been killed as part of an operation launched in May and linked him to a number of attacks in occupied Kashmir.
The ISPR chief noted that later, ANI claimed the deceased had been identified as Mohammad Asif. However, Lt Gen Chaudhry then called Asif to the stage during the press conference.
“So here is that superman. You can see this superman. Please, come, my brother. Tell us about these achievements of yours, what all you have been doing,” Lt Gen Chaudhry quipped.
Speaking to journalists, Mr Asif said friends had contacted him after seeing reports on social media that he had been martyred by the Indian Army in held Kashmir. “I responded that I was here, alive and healthy,” he said.
Mr Asif said he later received calls from Indian numbers seeking information about his identity, whereabouts and possible connection with the reports.
He said he joined the Pakistan Army in 2000, entered the SSG in 2005 and retired in 2023 after serving for 18 years. After retirement, he worked for a private security company and had been living with his family in Rawalpindi for the past three to four months.
Mr Asif rejected the allegations against him as “false, ignominious and disreputable”.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said the episode reflected a pattern of Indian attempts to link Pakistan with terrorism.
“It is a very shameful and embarrassing thing. No self-respecting nation does this,” he stressed.
The DG ISPR accused New Delhi of trying to externalise problems in occupied Kashmir by blaming Pakistan and urged India to provide evidence for its allegations, either to Islamabad or to a third party. “If you are not ready to give proof to us, you can give it to any third party,” he said.
Asked whether the latest allegations could lead to another armed conflict between the two countries, Lt Gen Chaudhry said Pakistan’s armed forces were prepared for any such eventuality and warned of a “very harsh” retribution.
“If they want to do anything, most welcome,” he said, adding that the cost imposed by Pakistan in response to any “strategic folly” would be “very, very severe”.
Responding to other questions, the ISPR chief stressed that the country’s counterterrorism campaign could not be subjected to political considerations.
The counterterror fight “cannot be sacrificed at the altar of anyone’s politics”, he said.
Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2026
