Voter IDs, Chocolates: Probe Report Cites Clear Evidence Of Pahalgam Attackers' Pakistani Origins

News18

3 days ago

The findings are based on a combination of forensic, digital, and testimonial evidence gathered during and after Operation Mahadev, the July 28 encounter.
A recent investigative report released by Indian security agencies offers conclusive evidence that the perpetrators of the April 22 Pahalgam massacre — where 26 tourists were gunned down in Baisaran Valley — were Pakistani nationals affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The findings are based on a combination of forensic, digital, and testimonial evidence gathered during and after Operation Maadev, the July 28 encounter.
The three terrorists — Suleman Shah (alias Faizal Jatt), Abu Hamza (alias 'Afghan"), and Yasir (alias 'Jibran") — were all high-ranking LeT commanders. None were local Kashmiris, as initially speculated based on preliminary sketches released after the massacre. These sketches were later discredited and linked to an unrelated December 2024 incident.
Recovered evidence paints a detailed picture. Two of the assailants carried Pakistani voter ID cards with serials tied to electoral rolls in Lahore and Gujranwala. A micro-SD card retrieved from a damaged satellite phone contained NADRA biometric data, confirming their Pakistani citizenship and addresses in Kasur district and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Personal items like Pakistani-manufactured chocolates further corroborated their origin, with lot numbers traceable to consignments shipped to Muzaffarabad in 2024.
Their infiltration route was tracked via intercepted radio signals dating back to May 2022, when they crossed the LoC near Gurez. They were later sheltered in a seasonal hut near Pahalgam by two locals — Parvaiz and Bashir Ahmad Jothar — who later confessed to aiding them. GPS data from one attacker's Garmin device and call logs from a Huawei satellite phone established their movements and linkages to operational control in Pakistan.
Forensic analysis also confirmed the ballistics match between shell casings found at the massacre site and three AK-103 rifles recovered after the attackers were killed on July 28 in the Dachigam-Harwan forest belt.
The report also ties the attack to LeT's command structure in Pakistan. Sajid Saifullah Jatt, LeT's south Kashmir operations chief, was identified as the key handler based in Lahore. Additionally, Rizwan Anees from Rawalkot coordinated posthumous funeral prayers in PoK for the slain terrorists.
Described as the most conclusive dossier to date, this evidence package was tabled in Parliament by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on July 29, who stated, 'For the first time we have government-issued Pakistani documents in hand that nail the nationality of the Pahalgam attackers beyond doubt."
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