Islamabad: In a startling revelation that contradicts Pakistan’s long-standing denial, a senior Pakistani Air Force official publicly acknowledged the military's involvement in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 Indian security personnel. The statement, made during a press conference in Islamabad.
Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed, speaking as Director General of Public Relations for the Pakistan Air Force, referred to the Pulwama bombing as an instance of “tactical brilliance,” suggesting direct military planning behind the suicide attack claimed by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). He made these remarks while appearing alongside Pakistan military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and a representative from the Navy.
“We tried to convey that through our tactical brilliance in Pulwama,” Ahmed said, adding that Pakistan had now demonstrated its “operational progress and strategic acumen” through its recent military posture.
Contradicting Years of Denial
The Pakistani official’s admission stands in stark contrast to the country's official narrative over the past five years. Since the February 14, 2019 attack, Islamabad has maintained that it had no role in the bombing. The suicide bombing targeted a convoy of Indian paramilitary personnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district and was swiftly claimed by JeM.
India responded by conducting an airstrike on a JeM facility in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan. The subsequent aerial confrontation saw Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman captured and later released by Pakistan, an episode that became emblematic of the heightened hostilities that followed Pulwama.
India has presented multiple dossiers with evidence connecting the bomber and the planning of the attack to Pakistan-based terror groups, but Pakistan has repeatedly rejected these submissions as inadequate.
Ahmed’s remarks come just days after the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir and amid renewed calls from India for Pakistan to dismantle terror infrastructure on its soil.
“We owe it to our nation,” Ahmed said during the briefing. “The pride and trust the Pakistani people have in their armed forces is something we always uphold, at all costs."
India has not yet issued an official response to the statement.
