In a dramatic break from Pakistan’s traditional denial, a top official of the Pakistan Air Force has issued a statement that seems to admit the military’s hand in the 2019 Pulwama terrorist attack that murdered 40 Indian paramilitary troops.
Addressing a press conference, Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed, Pakistan Air Force’s Director General Public Relations, termed the Pulwama incident a demonstration of ‘tactical brilliance’. He was joined by DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and a Navy representative.
“We attempted to achieve that through our tactical brilliance in Pulwama; now, we have shown our operational advancements and strategic capability. I think they should listen,” Ahmed said. He went on to state, “If Pakistan’s airspace, land, waters, or its people are in danger, there can be no compromise. It cannot be ignored. We owe it to our country. The pride and confidence the Pakistani nation has in their military is something we always maintain, at any cost.
This public statement is a stark contrast to Islamabad’s constant denials of complicity in the Pulwama attack, which was attributed to the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). India has, over the years, presented detailed dossiers tracing the suicide bomber to JeM and its leaders. Pakistan has consistently rejected these allegations, arguing that there is no “concrete” evidence.
Pakistan’s fresh rhetoric also comes in the wake of its demand for evidence from India regarding the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack, a stance now seen as contradictory in light of Ahmed’s remarks.
India had retorted the Pulwama terror attack with a precision airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp at Balakot. The Pakistani Air Force countered the next day, initiating a dogfight between aircraft in the air. The MiG-21 Bison carrying Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was hit during the exchange. He had been taken captive on the Pakistani side and let off later on diplomatic grounds.
Ahmed’s invocation of Pulwama as an act of deliberate military strategy on the part of the Indian state, and not an action by non-state actors, has reignited state complicity debates. His words have also stirred worry about Pakistan’s narratives management on the global front, particularly at a time when it is trying to challenge India’s own counter-terror operation.
