During a press conference on May 10, 2025, Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed, Director General Public Relations for the Pakistan Air Force, declared:
“We did try to tell them with our tactical brilliance in Pulwama. Now we have demonstrated our operational progress and strategic acumen. I believe they should take heed. 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.”
This rare and explicit admission came in front of both domestic and international journalists, with senior officials from the Pakistan Army and Navy present. The remarks directly contradict Pakistan’s years-long narrative denying any role in the Pulwama attack, which killed 40 Indian CRPF personnel.
For years, Pakistan’s official stance was to deny any involvement in the Pulwama attack, even as the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group claimed responsibility. Islamabad repeatedly demanded evidence from India and dismissed international concerns. Unlike previous ambiguous or politically motivated statements, this admission comes from the heart of Pakistan’s military establishment-the institution that shapes the country’s security and foreign policy. The statement has not only validated India’s long-standing allegations but also cast doubt on Pakistan’s denials regarding other attacks, such as the recent Pahalgam terror incident.
On February 14, 2019, a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber attacked a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmir, killing 40 personnel. India responded with the Balakot airstrike, targeting a JeM training camp in Pakistan. The incident led to a dramatic escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, including aerial dogfights and the capture (and later release) of Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.
Indian officials, security experts, and citizens have condemned the Pakistani admission, calling for international action and renewed scrutiny of Pakistan’s support for terrorism. The video of Ahmed’s statement has gone viral, with users highlighting it as clear evidence of state-backed terror and demanding global attention to Pakistan’s actions.