Hashim Musa identity row: India says LeT commander killed in Budgam, Pakistan produces ‘living’ Mohammad Asif

PTC Web Desk: A dispute has emerged over the identity of a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander who Indian security forces say was killed in a gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district.

Indian authorities identified the slain militant as Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Musa, also known as Asif Fauji. Pakistan, however, has challenged that identification by presenting a retired Pakistan Army soldier named Mohammad Asif before the media.

The conflicting claims have raised one key question: Was the man killed in Budgam the same Mohammad Asif whom Pakistan says is alive?

What happened in Budgam?

The operation took place in the Yousmarg area of Budgam after security forces received intelligence about the presence of militants.

The Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF launched a joint search operation. According to the Army, troops noticed suspicious movement and came under fire after challenging the militants.

A search operation was carried out after the exchange of fire. The Army later said the body of a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant was recovered from the Palmaidan area along with weapons and other war-like material. The militant was identified as Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Musa.

What does India say about Hashim Musa?

The Union Home Ministry has described Musa as a senior Lashkar-e-Taiba commander who had been operating in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the ministry, Musa was part of a four-member group of senior LeT commanders that had been active in the region since 2022. The other members, Junaid Bhat, Suleman and Yasir, had already been killed in separate encounters, according to the government.

Indian security sources have also identified Musa as a former Pakistan Army SSG member who later became associated with the LeT. Reports have linked him to several attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.

Why has Pakistan challenged the identification?

A day after India announced Musa's death, Pakistan's military held a media briefing and brought forward a man identified as Mohammad Asif.

The man said he was a retired Pakistan Army havildar who had served with the Special Services Group and retired in 2023. He told reporters that he was alive and had learned about reports of his alleged death through media coverage and calls from people who knew him.

Pakistan's military used his appearance to reject the Indian claim that the former soldier identified as Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Musa had been killed in Budgam.

Are the two Mohammad Asifs the same person?

This remains the central issue in the dispute. India says the militant killed in Budgam was Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Musa. The Ministry of Home Affairs has officially described the slain man as Musa, while the Army has said the recovered body was identified by that name.

Pakistan, on the other hand, says its retired soldier Mohammad Asif is alive and that he is not the man killed in Kashmir.

At this stage, the two sides are presenting different accounts of the man's identity. The public appearance of a living Mohammad Asif in Pakistan does not, by itself, establish who the person recovered from the Budgam encounter site was. Likewise, the Indian identification has been challenged by Pakistan and remains at the centre of the dispute.

What happens next?

The identity question is likely to depend on the evidence used to identify the body, including official records and other forensic or investigative material. For now, the confirmed public position is that India identifies the slain militant as Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Musa, while Pakistan says a retired soldier with the same name is alive.

The conflicting claims have turned the Budgam encounter into an identity dispute that goes beyond the question of the militant's death.

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