Pakistan presents ex-SSG commando Muhammad Asif, whom India said it killed in Budgam
Pakistan's military produced retired SSG havaldar Muhammad Asif at a press conference on 1 October, after Indian officials and media said a man of that name, also called Hashim Musa, was killed in Budgam, Kashmir. The two sides give opposing accounts of who the dead man was.
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The story, neutrally told
On 1 October 2026 the Pakistan Army's spokesperson, ISPR Director-General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, presented a man at a televised press conference in Rawalpindi who identified himself as Muhammad Asif, a retired havaldar of the Special Services Group (SSG). Geo NewsN “Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Thursday produced before the media Havaldar Asif — a retired commando of the Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG).” Read at Geo News ↗ The HinduLC “Then the spokesman paraded a man and identified him as Asif, who he said was a resident of Attock district in Punjab, and a former Pakistani soldier who retired in 2023.” Read at The Hindu ↗ The presentation followed Indian claims that Asif, also named Hashim Musa or Hashim Moosa, had been killed in a joint operation by the Indian Army and other security forces in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on the night of Tuesday 29 September. The HinduLC “Mohd Asif alias Hashim Moosa was neutralised in a joint operation by the Indian Army and other security forces in Budgam district Tuesday (September 29, 2026) night.” Read at The Hindu ↗ Geo NewsN “Indian authorities and media recently claimed that Havaldar Muhammad Asif, aka Hashim Musa, was killed in an encounter” Read at Geo News ↗ Indian officials, as relayed by The Hindu, said the dead man was a top Lashkar-e-Taiba militant involved in high-profile attacks, particularly in the last three years, and had once served in former President Pervez Musharraf's security convoy. The HinduLC “They said Asif was a top terrorist of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba and was involved in high-profile attacks, especially in the last three years”“He once served in former President Pervez Musharraf's security convoy, Indian officials have said.” Read at The Hindu ↗
Lt Gen Chaudhry called the Indian account fabricated and, according to The Hindu, mockingly referred to the man as a "superman" while asking him to describe his supposed achievements; Geo News described the Indian claim as part of another "false-flag operation". The HinduLC “"So here is that superman. You can see this superman.” Read at The Hindu ↗ Geo NewsN “it turned out that it was part of another false-flag operation” Read at Geo News ↗ Asif said friends phoned him on Wednesday evening to say Indian media and social media were reporting that the Indian Army had killed him in Kashmir, and that he told them he was alive and at home. Geo NewsN “I told them that I was alive and well, sitting at home, Alhamdulillah.” Read at Geo News ↗ The HinduLC “a day ago some friends called him and told him about reports on social media that he was killed "by the Indian Army in Kashmir”.” Read at The Hindu ↗ He said he then received calls from unknown Indian numbers asking for personal details, saw broadcasts showing his photograph and military record, and informed his former unit, which referred him to the ISPR. Geo NewsN “Soon after, he said he started receiving calls from unknown Indian numbers inquiring about his personal details”“They advised me to block the calls and informed me that the ISPR would contact me to present the truth.” Read at Geo News ↗
Asif gave his career as enlistment in the Artillery Corps in 2000, a move to the SSG in 2005, 18 years of service and retirement in 2023, followed by three years with a private security company; Geo News gives his home as Tehsil Pindigheb, Attock, while The Hindu quotes him as living with his family in Rawalpindi. Geo NewsN “he enlisted in the Pakistan Army's Artillery Corps in 2000. In 2005, he said that he joined the SSG.”“he is a resident of Tehsil Pindigheb, Attock District.” Read at Geo News ↗ The HinduLC ““For the past three or four months, I have been living with my family in our home in Rawalpindi.”” Read at The Hindu ↗ Asif rejected the allegation that he took part in cross-border terrorism as false and baseless, said he held his official CNIC and military identity documents, and said he was running a small business at home. Geo NewsN “I have my official CNIC and military identity documents with me.”“claiming that I was involved in cross-border terrorism — are entirely false, fabricated, and baseless.” Read at Geo News ↗ No independent verification of the dead man's identity is reported in either article, and neither quotes an Indian response to the press conference. The HinduLC “Pakistan Army on Thursday (October 1, 2026) disputed India’s claims regarding the killing of a retired havaldar” Read at The Hindu ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- The Hindu leads with Pakistan's army 'claiming' India 'wrongly identified' the man, putting the Indian account of the Budgam operation first and treating the Pakistani presentation as a contested claim.
- Emphasis
- Indian officials' description of the dead man as a top Lashkar-e-Taiba militant who once served in Musharraf's convoy; the Pakistani spokesman's 'superman' remark.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not carry Asif's account of Indian phone calls and broadcasts using his photo and records, or his denial of terrorism involvement in his own words.
- Charged language
- “neutralised”“paraded”“superman”
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Geo News treats Asif's appearance as proof that India's claim was false, calling it another 'false-flag operation' and using Pakistani state framing of the territory.
- Emphasis
- Asif's first-person account, his service record and documents, and his condemnation of Indian media.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Gives no detail of India's allegations beyond the claim that he was killed and involved in cross-border terrorism; no Indian official voice or independent check.
- Charged language
- “false-flag operation”“Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir”“martyred”
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Pakistan's army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry presented a man named Asif on 1 October 2026.
- The man said he joined the army in 2000, the SSG in 2005, and retired in 2023.
- Indian officials said an Asif alias Hashim Musa/Moosa was killed in Budgam, Kashmir, on 29 September.
Where accounts differ
-
Who was killed in Budgam
- Left
- The Hindu reports Indian officials' account that Asif, alias Hashim Moosa, a Lashkar-e-Taiba militant, was killed, and that Pakistan 'claims' India misidentified him.
- Centre
- Geo News says India's claim was false and part of a 'false-flag operation', since Asif is alive.
-
Whether Asif was involved in terrorism
- Left
- Indian officials say he was involved in high-profile attacks.
- Centre
- Asif calls the allegation false, fabricated and baseless.
Muhammad Asif person
Says he is alive, retired from the SSG in 2023, and that the Indian claims that he was involved in cross-border terrorism are false.
“Alhamdulillah, I am alive and standing before you today. There is no doubt about my identity.” — Geo News
Pakistan Army organisation
Through its spokesman, calls the Indian account fabricated and produced Asif at a press conference to rebut it.
“Pakistani Army spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry called the Indian account as fabricated during a televised news conference.” — The Hindu
Indian Army organisation
Indian officials say a Lashkar-e-Taiba militant named Asif was killed in a joint operation in Budgam; the Indian Army's response to the Pakistani press conference is not reported.
“Mohd Asif alias Hashim Moosa was neutralised in a joint operation by the Indian Army and other security forces in Budgam district” — The Hindu
Left1 article
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Pakistan Army presents man it claims India ‘wrongly identified’ as militant killed in Kashmir
Neutral Reports the Indian account and the Pakistani rebuttal side by side, with attribution and some distance from Pakistan's claim.
Centre1 article
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Who is Muhammad Asif, ex-SSG commando India claimed killed in IIOJK?
Sympathetic Profile built around Asif's own statement, adopting the Pakistani position that India fabricated the claim.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 1 Oct 14:52 First Geo NewsN Who is Muhammad Asif, ex-SSG commando India claimed killed in IIOJK?
- 2 Oct 09:14 +18h 22m The HinduLC Pakistan Army presents man it claims India ‘wrongly identified’ as militant killed in Kashmir
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.