Pak Army Officer Who Claimed to Have Captured Indian Pilot Abhinandan Killed in Clash with Taliban

A senior officer of Pakistan’s elite Special Services Group (SSG), Major Syed Moiz Abbas Shah—who previously claimed to have been involved in the capture and protection of Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman in 2019—was killed during a fierce gun battle with Taliban militants, Pakistan’s military said on Wednesday.

Major Moiz, 37, was killed alongside Lance Naik Jibran Ullah, 27, in an encounter with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters in the Sararogha region of South Waziristan, near the Afghan border.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani army’s media wing, eleven militants were killed and seven others were injured during the operation.

The Pakistani Army described Major Moiz as a valiant officer who served with “unmatched courage and commitment.” His funeral prayers were held at Chaklala Garrison in Rawalpindi and were attended by Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, General Asim Munir.

Moiz’s body was later laid to rest in his hometown of Chakwal, Punjab, with full military honours.

Commissioned in 2011, Moiz had served in the volatile Waziristan region as part of the SSG, Pakistan’s elite commando unit.

However, it was only after his death that Pakistani media widely identified him as the officer who, back in 2019, had claimed to have played a central role in capturing and later ensuring the safe custody of Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, whose MiG-21 Bison had been shot down during an aerial skirmish between India and Pakistan.

An old interview of then-Captain Moiz resurfaced on social media, showing him narrating how he was the first to reach the site where Abhinandan had ejected in Pakistani territory.

Moiz said he intervened to protect the captured pilot from a violent mob, ensuring his safety until the Pakistan Army arrived to take him into official custody.

The capture of Abhinandan on February 27, 2019, followed a tense military exchange between India and Pakistan, a day after Indian warplanes crossed the Line of Control to strike a terror camp in Balakot, in retaliation for the Pulwama suicide bombing.

The downing of Abhinandan’s jet and his subsequent capture had pushed both nuclear-armed neighbours to the brink.

However, in a gesture that Pakistan framed as one of peace and statesmanship, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced in Parliament that Abhinandan would be released.

The Indian pilot was handed over at the Wagah border on March 1, 2019, just days after his capture, earning widespread international praise for the rapid de-escalation of tensions.

While Indian officials have maintained that diplomatic and military pressure played a key role in securing his release, Pakistan has continued to emphasize that it was a sovereign decision made to avoid further conflict.

Major Moiz’s claim of having played a direct role in securing the pilot’s safety has been cited by Pakistani media as evidence of the army’s controlled handling of the situation, despite the volatile public mood at the time.

Major Moiz’s death has once again drawn attention to the complex and often violent challenges faced by Pakistan’s armed forces in the tribal regions.

The TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, has been behind some of the country’s deadliest attacks, including on military bases, government institutions, and civilian targets. It was formed in 2007 as a coalition of extremist outfits seeking to enforce a hardline Islamist regime.

Described by the Pakistani government as “Fitna al-Khawarij”, invoking a term from early Islamic history associated with violent rebellion, the TTP remains a significant threat. Major Moiz, who had once helped defuse a diplomatic flashpoint between two rival nations, died battling the very forces that have destabilized large parts of his own country.

His death is being mourned as that of a soldier who not only served his nation on the battlefield but also in moments of geopolitical crisis—demonstrating, in Pakistan’s words, “bravery, restraint, and responsibility in equal measure.”