Pakistan Air Force Official Admits Military Role in Pulwama Attack

In a stunning admission, a senior Pakistan Air Force official has publicly acknowledged the military’s strategic involvement in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, which killed 40 Indian paramilitary personnel in Jammu and Kashmir. The statement, made during a press conference in Islamabad, marks a dramatic departure from Pakistan’s consistent denials of responsibility.

Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmad, Director General of Public Relations for the Pakistan Air Force, said, “We tried to convey our strategic alertness through Pulwama.” He described the attack as a display of “tactical brilliance” intended to showcase Pakistan’s operational readiness. He was joined at the briefing by Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, spokesperson for the Pakistan Army, and a representative from the Navy.

The remarks directly contradict Pakistan’s long-standing position. Since the suicide bombing—claimed by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)—Pakistan had denied any state involvement. Then-Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack and dismissed India’s evidence linking JeM and the bomber, Adil Ahmad Dar, to the Pakistani establishment.

India had responded to the Pulwama attack with an airstrike on a JeM training camp in Balakot. The ensuing military escalation included the capture and subsequent release of Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, intensifying tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Aurangzeb Ahmad’s admission also comes shortly after another deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. His comments have reignited calls from India for Pakistan to dismantle all terror infrastructure operating from its soil.

“We owe it to our nation,” Ahmad declared. “The pride and trust the Pakistani people have in their armed forces is something we always uphold, at all costs.”

As of now, the Indian government has not issued an official response to this latest development.