Indian media’s initial claim is under debate as fake posts show the suspect as a former Pakistani commando.
NEW DELHI – A fresh disinformation narrative about the Pahalgam attack comes under scrutiny after India-based social media accounts shared an AI-generated image claiming that a man killed in India’s illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) was a former Pakistan Army SSG soldier.
The viral post tried to establish a Pakistani military connection by presenting a picture of an unidentified man with an SSG insignia. However, the image has been identified as fake, while the SSG logo shown in the graphic is also fake.
The development raises fresh questions over the veracity of claims being circulated about the identity and background of a man who was allegedly killed during an encounter in the Kurag region of Indian Occupied Kashmir.
The Modi-led government claimed, citing Indian media sources, that the man was wanted in connection with the April 22 Pahalgam attack and had links to the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Reports have identified the man as Muhammad Asif, also known as Hashim Musa. The claims escalated, with Indian news agency Asian News International (ANI) alleging that Asif had previously served in the Pakistani army and retired as a Havaldar.
According to the profile reported by ANI, Asif was born on March 7, 1980, joined the Pakistan Army in 2000 under service number PA-3106947 and was later inducted into the Special Services Group in 2005. The fake report said he served with 4 Commando Yalgar Battalions and was posted in 6 more from Balochistan. About 10 operations against Baloch insurgents were credited with 13 personal casualties.
However, circulation of a fabricated photograph and fake SSG insignia does not establish the military background of the individual. A photograph used as visual evidence cannot therefore independently verify the claims made about them.
These allegations were later echoed by the Indian Army’s Chinar Corps, which operates under the Northern Command and is based in Occupied Kashmir.
The claims also revive a wider controversy that has raged since the Pahalgam attack, with Indian officials and the media repeatedly alleging Pakistani involvement while Islamabad has denied responsibility and demanded an independent investigation.
The Pahalgam attack sparked a major confrontation between Pakistan and India and was followed by four days of clashes in May last year.
On May 7, India launched airstrikes against targets in Punjab and Azad Kashmir, after which Pakistan announced that it had downed several Indian aircraft in airstrikes. The two countries later exchanged further strikes against military targets before a ceasefire was reached on 10 May following US intervention.
After the Malika Bukhari controversy, the Information Minister demanded action against fake news.
The post Phalgam claim of Indian media is under discussion, the suspect was revealed as a former Pakistani commando in the fake posts appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.
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