Pahalgam terrorist attack: How NIA identified 3 Pakistani terrorists behind the Baisaran massacre? Arrest two..., three Pakistani...

India.com

6 hours ago

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has achieved a crucial breakthrough in the Baisaran, Pahalgam terror attack case that took place on April 22 killing 26 people as the agency disclosed that three Pakistani nationals carried out the massacre. An NIA spokesperson said that these three are Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists whose names and identity have beef emerged for the first time.
Pictures of three suspects, including Adil Hussain Tokar, a local terrorist from Anantnag in south Kashmir while the two others, Hashim Musa and Ali Bhai from Pakistan, had been released by the Jammu and Kashmir Police soon after the attack.
'We have arrested two people and they have revealed that three Pakistani Lashkar terrorists were involved in Baisaran. These three are not the same whose sketches were released,' said an NIA official.
The two men arrested by the NIA are accused of sheltering the terrorists who carried out the Baisaran massacre. 'Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar from Batkote, Pahalgam and Bashir Ahmad Jothar of Hill Park, Pahalgam, have disclosed the identities of the three armed terrorists involved in the attack, and have also confirmed that they were Pakistani nationals affiliated to the proscribed terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT),' the NIA spokesperson said.
Parvaiz and Bashir had 'knowingly harboured the three armed terrorists at a seasonal dhok (hut) at Hill Park before the attack', says the NIA probe.
'The two men had provided food, shelter and logistical support to the terrorists, who had, on the fateful afternoon, selectively killed the tourists on the basis of their religious identity, making it one of the most gruesome terrorist attacks ever,' the NIA spokesperson said.
This is the first arrest in the case since the April 22 massacre. Top NIA officials said they are working on the leads provided by the arrested accused to figure out where the three terrorists could be hiding. A massive manhunt was launched based on the sketches released by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. However, new revelations have led to further attempts to identify the fugitive terrorists. 'This is a massive success,' police officials in Jammu and Kashmir said.
The NIA has arrested Parvez and Bashir under Section 19 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and it will seek further custody to question the two after producing them in the court.
The Pahalgam attack sparked nationwide outrage following which India launched Operation Sindoor to avenge the killings and targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.