BREAKING NEWS
On February 27, 2019, an aerial combat took place between the Indian Air Force [IAF] and Pakistani Air Force [PAF] in which Wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman of IAF who downed a PAF fighter jet was also shot down
Yarn Spinners
Pakistan army’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations [ISPR] is perhaps one of the best sources of unadulterated amusement and its incredulous narratives being so similar to fairy tales invoke nostalgia by reviving childhood memories. While some people inexplicably vanish into thin air without any trace whatsoever, others suddenly appear from nowhere-and it’s this unique twist in the tall stories conjured by ISPR that makes them so addictive.
ISPR’s penchant for coming out with comical statements has been aptly captured in a widely circulated meme on social media. This is a digitally created photo of a pouch of a non-existent brand named Lahori Churan [an herbal appetizer from Lahore] along with a mug-shot of DGISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Shareef Chaudhary and the bye line “Jazbe wali kaum ke liye [For the community full of fervour].” Though it contains no message, yet this meme fittingly drives home the point that ISPR’s statements are so palpably questionable that they just can’t be digested without help of an appetizer!
Curious Disappearance
On February 27, 2019, an aerial combat took place between the Indian Air Force [IAF] and Pakistani Air Force [PAF] in which Wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman of IAF who downed a PAF fighter jet was also shot down. After he bailed out and landed in Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir [PoJK], he was apprehended by the Pakistan army . However, Director General [DG] ISPR tweeted that PAF shot down two Indian aircrafts” and one Indian pilot [had been] arrested by troops on ground while two [other pilots were] in the area.”
Just a few hours later, DGISPR announced that only two IAF pilots were in custody. He further revealed that “one of them was injured and has been taken to Combined Military Hospital [CMH] and will be given proper care, [while] another is in our custody.” Reduction in the number of detained pilots from three to two is understandable as the information about two of them “in the area” could be inaccurate. However, by evening, DGISPR further reduced the number of detained pilots to just one- something that raises a red flag so conspicuous that wouldn’t even escape notice of a novice.
By disclosing the physical location of the two pilots [one being in custody of the Pakistan army and another undergoing treatment at a CMH], DGISPR clearly acknowledged that two pilots had bailed out that day and it's axiomatic that as many aircrafts went down that day. While the IAF pilot in Pakistani custody was Wg Cdr Varthaman, there’s no record of the second pilot who DGISPR confirmed as undergoing treatment at CMH. However, that he wasn’t an India pilot is definite because had he been one, Pakistan had no reason to conceal his identity and New Delhi would have certainly sought his repatriation too.
The Pakistan army has no qualms about disowning its rank and file killed in combat and even abandoning their mortal remains as it did during the 1999 Kargil war. More recently, it has even stooped down to a new low by taking no action to secure release of its soldiers captured by Baloch Liberation Army fighters. On the other hand, the “no one left behind” principle is the foundational military ethos and moral commitment within the Indian armed forces. As such, it is inconceivable that the IAF would leave behind a pilot and forget about him.
Hence, acknowledgement that a second unnamed pilot was undergoing treatment in a Pakistan army medical facility is undoubtedly irrefutable proof that a PAF pilot had bailed out that day and this in turn univocally confirms that Wg Cdr Varthaman had indeed shot down a PAF fighter jet during the aerial combat that day.
But that's not all.
Another inexplicable ‘disappearance’ occurred in Pakistan a few days later. Replying to a query regarding whereabouts of Jaish-e-Mohammad [JeM] chief Masood Azhar whose terrorist had carried out the Pulwama suicide car bombing, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi admitted that Azhar was indeed present in Pakistan and even gave his health update saying, “He is unwell to the extent that he can't leave his house, because he's really unwell."
However, by promptly contradicting Qureshi’s admission and stating that “Jaish-e-Mohammed does not exist in Pakistan,” DGISPR not only ‘disappeared’ the JeM chief, but also made thousands of his henchmen vanish!
Intriguing Appearances
Making someone appear just to prove that he is alive is another field in which ISPR excels. Though details of one such incident that occurred during the 1999 Kargil War aren’t available on the internet, the author vividly recalls viewing the same on Pakistan TV.
During the Kargil conflict, Indian TV channels showed several personal and official documents recovered from captured posts that clearly revealed that the infiltrators weren't mujahideen but members of the Pakistan army. In one case, after personal letters written by a lady to her husband along with some other documents identifying him as a Pakistan army officer were shown on TV, the then DGISPR Maj Gen Rashid Qureshi promptly paraded a person in uniform before the media and he claimed that he was the army officer whose personal effects were shown on Indian TV.
The funny part about this incident is that while the Indian army had made no claim of either having killed or captured the officer whose documents had been recovered, by presenting a supposed army officer parading on TV, DGISPR demolished his own lie that the infiltrators in Kargil were mujahideen and not Pakistan army regulars.
A similar incident happened just a few days back after the Indian army shot dead a Pakistani national named Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Musa belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba [LeT]. DGISPR Lt Gen Chaudhry held a long drawn media briefing accusing the Indian army of spreading disinformation and in a repeat of the Kargil War incident, even produced a person who claimed that he was the real Mohammad Asif.
However, instead of clearing the air, DGISPR’s confusing barrage of accusations on sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan clearly betrayed Rawalpindi’s desperation on account of its abject failure to restore normalcy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [KP] and Balochistan despite indiscriminate use of force. His attempt to malign the Indian army turned out to be a damp squib for several reasons.
Firstly, the Indian army has never mentioned anything about Musa’s professional background prior to his joining LeT and so the question of it spreading disinformation doesn’t arise. Secondly, security agencies had shared his sketch created through description of several witnesses and this was an exact match of his photograph recovered from the mobile phone of his accomplices. Thirdly, the facial features of the slain LeT terrorist matched perfectly with his sketch and photograph.
Counter Question
DGISPR has cited six reasons to explain why Musa was linked with the Pakistan army, which range from the utterly laughable and absurd to the hallucinatory and even the outrightly bizarre. While the former includes India’s alleged bid to “cover [its] own track of terrorism, oppression in Kashmir” and “Bollywood influence,” his accusation of India’s “obsession with Pakistan” definitely indicates acute hallucination. And “politicisation of military” and “shining India delusion” undoubtedly falls in the bizarre category.
Indian media had been mentioning Musa’s former service in Pakistan army’s Special Services Group [SSG] ever since his role as the Pahalgam massacre mastermind was established in April last year. On April 29, 2025, News9 had mentioned that “Investigations into the Pahalgam terror attack reveal that Hashim Musa, a Pakistani terrorist behind the massacre, is a former para commando of Pakistan’s Special Services Group (SSG). Sources say he was loaned to the LeT by the Pakistani military to target non-locals and security forces in J&K.” But DGISPR maintained a stoic silence all along.
"Why the need for all this drama [by India]," the DGISPR had queried during his media briefing and this raises a counter question for him. When Musa’s link with the Pakistan army was being mentioned by the Indian media for more than a year, why the need for all this drama and presenting a pathetic body-double of the slain LeT terrorist? Could it be because of DGISPR’s fear of the upcoming anti terrorism funding watchdog Financial Action Task Force [FATF] meeting scheduled later this month?
Email:-----------------------nileshkunwar.56@gmail.com
On February 27, 2019, an aerial combat took place between the Indian Air Force [IAF] and Pakistani Air Force [PAF] in which Wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman of IAF who downed a PAF fighter jet was also shot down
Yarn Spinners
Pakistan army’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations [ISPR] is perhaps one of the best sources of unadulterated amusement and its incredulous narratives being so similar to fairy tales invoke nostalgia by reviving childhood memories. While some people inexplicably vanish into thin air without any trace whatsoever, others suddenly appear from nowhere-and it’s this unique twist in the tall stories conjured by ISPR that makes them so addictive.
ISPR’s penchant for coming out with comical statements has been aptly captured in a widely circulated meme on social media. This is a digitally created photo of a pouch of a non-existent brand named Lahori Churan [an herbal appetizer from Lahore] along with a mug-shot of DGISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Shareef Chaudhary and the bye line “Jazbe wali kaum ke liye [For the community full of fervour].” Though it contains no message, yet this meme fittingly drives home the point that ISPR’s statements are so palpably questionable that they just can’t be digested without help of an appetizer!
Curious Disappearance
On February 27, 2019, an aerial combat took place between the Indian Air Force [IAF] and Pakistani Air Force [PAF] in which Wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman of IAF who downed a PAF fighter jet was also shot down. After he bailed out and landed in Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir [PoJK], he was apprehended by the Pakistan army . However, Director General [DG] ISPR tweeted that PAF shot down two Indian aircrafts” and one Indian pilot [had been] arrested by troops on ground while two [other pilots were] in the area.”
Just a few hours later, DGISPR announced that only two IAF pilots were in custody. He further revealed that “one of them was injured and has been taken to Combined Military Hospital [CMH] and will be given proper care, [while] another is in our custody.” Reduction in the number of detained pilots from three to two is understandable as the information about two of them “in the area” could be inaccurate. However, by evening, DGISPR further reduced the number of detained pilots to just one- something that raises a red flag so conspicuous that wouldn’t even escape notice of a novice.
By disclosing the physical location of the two pilots [one being in custody of the Pakistan army and another undergoing treatment at a CMH], DGISPR clearly acknowledged that two pilots had bailed out that day and it's axiomatic that as many aircrafts went down that day. While the IAF pilot in Pakistani custody was Wg Cdr Varthaman, there’s no record of the second pilot who DGISPR confirmed as undergoing treatment at CMH. However, that he wasn’t an India pilot is definite because had he been one, Pakistan had no reason to conceal his identity and New Delhi would have certainly sought his repatriation too.
The Pakistan army has no qualms about disowning its rank and file killed in combat and even abandoning their mortal remains as it did during the 1999 Kargil war. More recently, it has even stooped down to a new low by taking no action to secure release of its soldiers captured by Baloch Liberation Army fighters. On the other hand, the “no one left behind” principle is the foundational military ethos and moral commitment within the Indian armed forces. As such, it is inconceivable that the IAF would leave behind a pilot and forget about him.
Hence, acknowledgement that a second unnamed pilot was undergoing treatment in a Pakistan army medical facility is undoubtedly irrefutable proof that a PAF pilot had bailed out that day and this in turn univocally confirms that Wg Cdr Varthaman had indeed shot down a PAF fighter jet during the aerial combat that day.
But that's not all.
Another inexplicable ‘disappearance’ occurred in Pakistan a few days later. Replying to a query regarding whereabouts of Jaish-e-Mohammad [JeM] chief Masood Azhar whose terrorist had carried out the Pulwama suicide car bombing, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi admitted that Azhar was indeed present in Pakistan and even gave his health update saying, “He is unwell to the extent that he can't leave his house, because he's really unwell."
However, by promptly contradicting Qureshi’s admission and stating that “Jaish-e-Mohammed does not exist in Pakistan,” DGISPR not only ‘disappeared’ the JeM chief, but also made thousands of his henchmen vanish!
Intriguing Appearances
Making someone appear just to prove that he is alive is another field in which ISPR excels. Though details of one such incident that occurred during the 1999 Kargil War aren’t available on the internet, the author vividly recalls viewing the same on Pakistan TV.
During the Kargil conflict, Indian TV channels showed several personal and official documents recovered from captured posts that clearly revealed that the infiltrators weren't mujahideen but members of the Pakistan army. In one case, after personal letters written by a lady to her husband along with some other documents identifying him as a Pakistan army officer were shown on TV, the then DGISPR Maj Gen Rashid Qureshi promptly paraded a person in uniform before the media and he claimed that he was the army officer whose personal effects were shown on Indian TV.
The funny part about this incident is that while the Indian army had made no claim of either having killed or captured the officer whose documents had been recovered, by presenting a supposed army officer parading on TV, DGISPR demolished his own lie that the infiltrators in Kargil were mujahideen and not Pakistan army regulars.
A similar incident happened just a few days back after the Indian army shot dead a Pakistani national named Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Musa belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba [LeT]. DGISPR Lt Gen Chaudhry held a long drawn media briefing accusing the Indian army of spreading disinformation and in a repeat of the Kargil War incident, even produced a person who claimed that he was the real Mohammad Asif.
However, instead of clearing the air, DGISPR’s confusing barrage of accusations on sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan clearly betrayed Rawalpindi’s desperation on account of its abject failure to restore normalcy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [KP] and Balochistan despite indiscriminate use of force. His attempt to malign the Indian army turned out to be a damp squib for several reasons.
Firstly, the Indian army has never mentioned anything about Musa’s professional background prior to his joining LeT and so the question of it spreading disinformation doesn’t arise. Secondly, security agencies had shared his sketch created through description of several witnesses and this was an exact match of his photograph recovered from the mobile phone of his accomplices. Thirdly, the facial features of the slain LeT terrorist matched perfectly with his sketch and photograph.
Counter Question
DGISPR has cited six reasons to explain why Musa was linked with the Pakistan army, which range from the utterly laughable and absurd to the hallucinatory and even the outrightly bizarre. While the former includes India’s alleged bid to “cover [its] own track of terrorism, oppression in Kashmir” and “Bollywood influence,” his accusation of India’s “obsession with Pakistan” definitely indicates acute hallucination. And “politicisation of military” and “shining India delusion” undoubtedly falls in the bizarre category.
Indian media had been mentioning Musa’s former service in Pakistan army’s Special Services Group [SSG] ever since his role as the Pahalgam massacre mastermind was established in April last year. On April 29, 2025, News9 had mentioned that “Investigations into the Pahalgam terror attack reveal that Hashim Musa, a Pakistani terrorist behind the massacre, is a former para commando of Pakistan’s Special Services Group (SSG). Sources say he was loaned to the LeT by the Pakistani military to target non-locals and security forces in J&K.” But DGISPR maintained a stoic silence all along.
"Why the need for all this drama [by India]," the DGISPR had queried during his media briefing and this raises a counter question for him. When Musa’s link with the Pakistan army was being mentioned by the Indian media for more than a year, why the need for all this drama and presenting a pathetic body-double of the slain LeT terrorist? Could it be because of DGISPR’s fear of the upcoming anti terrorism funding watchdog Financial Action Task Force [FATF] meeting scheduled later this month?
Email:-----------------------nileshkunwar.56@gmail.com
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