Did Pakistan Admit Its Role In 2019 Pulwama Terror Attack? Its Top Air Force Official Says 'Our Tactical Brilliance...'

In what can be described as a rare admission by Pakistan of its involvement in the 2019 Pulwama attack—which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel—a senior Pakistan Air Force officer publicly referred to the attack as an act of "tactical brilliance."

Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed made this statement during a press conference on Friday, amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. The Indian government responded with what it called “focused, measured, and non-escalatory” strikes under ‘Operation Sindoor’ to avenge the attack.

“If Pakistan's airspace, land, waters, or 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,” said Ahmed, who serves as the Director General of Public Relations for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

He was joined at the press briefing by DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and a spokesperson from the Pakistan Navy.

Pakistan has consistently denied any role in the Pulwama attack and even demanded evidence, despite the Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claiming responsibility. At the time, then-Prime Minister Imran Khan categorically rejected India’s assertion of Pakistan’s involvement.

This recent statement by a senior military official, made in the presence of media personnel, stands as a rare and explicit indication of Pakistan’s complicity in cross-border terrorism against India.

The Resistance Front (TRF), an affiliate of the Pakistan-backed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), initially claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack but later retracted its statement.

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