Pakistan admits to role in Pulwama terror attack amid Pahalgam heat

In a moment of showmanship amid the heat of tensions, Pakistan’s military brass admitted to its role in the killing of 40 paramilitary personnel in Pulwama in 2019. The rare admission that the Pulwama terror attack was “a tactical brilliance” of the Pakistani military came after years of denial and in front of dozens of media personnel, including foreign correspondents.

“We tried to tell them with our tactical brilliance in Pulwama…,” said Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed during a press conference on Friday. He is the Director General Public Relations for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

With this, Aurangzeb has not only destroyed the fig leaf that Pakistan was using over the Pulwama attack, but also the April 22 Pahalgam attack. The rare admission runs counter to Pakistan’s claim of innocence in the Pahalgam terrorist attack, and the pretence of seeking evidence from India over its involvement.

“If Pakistan’s airspace, land, waters, or its people are threatened, there can be no compromise. It cannot go unnoticed. We owe it to our nation. The pride and trust the Pakistani people have in their armed forces is something we always uphold, at all costs. We tried to convey that through our tactical brilliance in Pulwama; now, we have demonstrated our operational progress and strategic acumen. I believe they should take heed,” Aurangzeb Ahmed said on Friday, with DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and a Navy spokesperson by his side.

The expression on the navy spokesperson’s face even as Aurangzeb referred to Pulwama was a tell-all.

Lt Gen Chaudhry is the son of nuclear scientist Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood, who met al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden and tried to hand over nuclear weapons technology to terrorists. He features on the UN Security Council’s al-Qaida Sanctions Committee list of terrorists.

Pakistan has consistently denied involvement in the Pulwama attack, where a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) suicide bomber killed 40 CRPF personnel. Pakistan’s then-Prime Minister Imran Khan called the attack a “matter of grave concern” but rejected the involvement of its army establishment’s role in the attack.

Pakistan demanded evidence and denied India’s charges, despite the JeM claiming responsibility. Pakistan’s denial persisted despite India’s dossier linking the attacker, Adil Ahmad Dar, to the JeM, whose headquarters in Bawahalpur, Subhan Allah camp, was turned to rubble by Indian strikes during Operation Sindoor.

In relation to the Pulwama attack, India conducted airstrikes on a JeM terror camp in Balakot, POK. The operation on terror hideouts involved 12 Mirage 2000 jets targeting JeM’s largest training camp.

Pakistan’s response led to an aerial dogfight and the capture of Indian fighter pilot Abhinandan Varthaman. However, the air force officer was released by Pakistan days later, amid heightened tensions between both countries.

While the admission may be rare, it isn’t the first. Back in October 2020, Pakistan’s then Minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhry, openly admitted that Pakistan was responsible for the Pulwama terrorist attack, a provocation that brought it to the brink of war with India.

“Humne Hindustan ko ghus ke maara (We hit India in their home). Our success in Pulwama, is a success for this nation under the leadership of Imran Khan. You and us are all part of that success,” Chaudhry was quoted as saying in the National Assembly (Parliament), by news agency PTI.

However, the recent admission by Air Force officer Aurangzeb is significant, given that it comes from the military establishment, the true power center in Pakistan. The civilian leadership has been at Rawalpindi’s mercy.

While Pakistan’s government has never officially accepted its involvement in the Pulwama attack, Aurangzeb’s moment of bravado, delivered in front of the glare of cameras, managed to do what years of pressure couldn’t.