Is Pakistan deploying military assets near J&K after Pahalgam attack?

The Pahalgam terror attack has left many shaken.

At least 26 people, mostly tourists, were gunned down by terrorists in south Kashmir on Tuesday.

Cities across India are on high alert and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cut short his trip to Saudi Arabia.

Condemnation from politicians has poured in across the spectrum.

But now, there are claims that Pakistan is deploying its military assets near Jammu and Kashmir.

What do we know? Is this true?

Let’s take a closer look:

What do we know?

As per News18, the flight tracking website Flightradar24 is showing that two major Pakistan Air Force (PAF) craft are changing their location.

Screenshots, which are being widely shared on social media, show two Pakistan Air Force (PAF) craft leaving Southern Air Command in Karachi.

The aircraft in question are PAF198, a Lockheed C-130E Hercules transport aircraft and PAF101, a smaller Embraer Phenom 100 jet which is used for VIP transport or intelligence operations.

𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦@DGPR_PAF is recalibrating and deploying Assets from Southern Air Command AOR to Northern Air Command.#Pahalgam attack was planned by ISI to trigger a limited conflict with India so that #PakArmy can gain a bit on its lost reputation among own people. pic.twitter.com/iWqw7MuZyf

— Nepal Correspondence (@NepCorres) April 22, 2025

The planes are seemingly flying to bases in the north near Lahore and Rawalpindi.

Both these bases are near the Indian border.

Read Pahalgam terror attack LIVE Updates here

However, there is no official confirmation from Pakistan.

Read Pahalgam terror attack LIVE Updates here

Deccan Herald pointed out that military planes are usually not trackable on such websites for security reasons.

Balakot-style strike in offing?

Speculation is rife on social media that Pakistan fears a 2019 Balakot-type strike.

India’s fighter jets launched an airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist training camp in Balakot on February 26, 2019, in retaliation for the Pulwama terror attack.

Following the Balakot strikes, India announced that a “very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis” were killed in the overnight operation.

Home Minister Amit Shah has vowed not to spare those behind the attack.

“With a heavy heart, paid last respects to the deceased of the Pahalgam terror attack. Bharat will not bend to terror. The culprits of this dastardly terror attack will not be spared,” Shah wrote on X.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that people involved in the cowardly terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam will get a “strong response” in the “near future” and India cannot be “intimidated” by any such terrorist acts.

Singh said India will not only hunt down those who perpetrated the attack but will also trace the people who conspired to carry out the nefarious act on Indian soil while “sitting behind the scenes”.

Several meetings on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir have taken place since the terror attack.

Modi returned to New Delhi this morning after cutting short his two-day trip to Saudi Arabia.

Modi on Tuesday had vowed that those behind the “heinous act” will be brought to justice.

Home Minister Amit Shah rushed to Srinagar on Tuesday evening to spearhead the security measures.

Shortly after landing in Delhi, Modi held a meeting with NSA Doval, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry released a statement on the attack.

“We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in an attack in Anantnag district. We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” Foreign Office spokesperson said.

With inputs from agencies