Pakistan Air Force Official Admits to Role in 2019 Pulwama Attack, Calls It ‘Tactical Brilliance’
In a stunning and rare public admission, a senior Pakistan Air Force official acknowledged the military’s role in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel, describing it as “tactical brilliance.”
Speaking at a high-profile press conference in Islamabad on Friday, Pakistan Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed, Director General of Public Relations for the Pakistan Air Force, said, “We tried to tell them with our tactical brilliance in Pulwama.” The statement marks the first explicit acknowledgment by a senior Pakistani military officer linking the armed forces to the suicide bombing.
Ahmed made the remarks alongside Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), and a Pakistan Navy spokesperson, during a briefing held in the presence of both domestic and international journalists.
Pakistan has long denied any role in the Pulwama attack, carried out by a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operative in February 2019. The suicide bombing had led to the deaths of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and triggered a military escalation between India and Pakistan, including the Balakot airstrikes.
The recent admission appears to shatter years of Pakistani denials. The statement also contradicts Islamabad’s past demands for “evidence” from New Delhi, despite JeM openly claiming responsibility for the attack.
Indian officials said the statement serves as confirmation of what India had maintained all along — that Pakistan’s military establishment was complicit in sponsoring cross-border terrorism. “This is no longer a matter of speculation. It is now a matter of record,” a senior Indian defence official said on condition of anonymity.
Following the Pulwama attack, India carried out airstrikes on a JeM camp in Balakot, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), targeting what was described as JeM’s largest training base. The operation led to an aerial confrontation in which Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured and later released by Pakistan.
At the time, then-Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan rejected India’s accusations and labeled the attack a “matter of grave concern,” while denying any government or military involvement.
Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who was present during Ahmed’s statement, is the son of Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood — a nuclear scientist linked to terror outfits and included in the UN Security Council’s sanctions list. Mahmood is known to have met Osama bin Laden in the early 2000s.
Aurangzeb Ahmed’s comments come amid renewed hostilities between India and Pakistan, including recent attacks in Pahalgam and Jammu & Kashmir. The military’s admission raises questions about Islamabad’s current strategy and messaging to the global community.
Security analysts suggest the statement may be part of a calculated effort to project strength domestically, while attempting to shift the narrative on the international stage.
“There is now no doubt left about Pakistan’s hand in Pulwama,” a senior MEA official said. “This must be taken seriously by the international community.”
