'My brother is Mujahideen', admits sister of the Pahalgam terrorist whose house was demolished in Kashmir

Economic Times

25-04-2025

Following the deadly Pahalgam attack, security forces demolished the home of a suspected terrorist's family in Tral during a search operation. The suspect's sister identified her brother as a militant and accused authorities of collective punishment, stating her family is innocent.
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The sister of a terrorist involved in the April 22 Pahalgam attack has identified her brother as a " Mujahideen " and accused authorities of punishing innocent family members after their home in Tral was demolished due to an explosion during a search operation.Speaking to reporters near the ruins of the demolished house, she said, 'My one brother is in jail, the other brother is a Mujahideen, and I also have two sisters. Yesterday, when I came here from my in-laws' place, I did not find my parents and siblings at home. Police had taken them away. While I was here, the Security Forces came and asked me to move to a neighbour's house. I saw a man wearing a camouflage uniform placing an object like a bomb on top of the house. After that, the house was demolished… We are innocent. They have destroyed our house.'The woman is the sister of Adil Hussain Thokar , also known as Adil Guree, a local terrorist from Anantnag district who has been named by authorities as one of the key conspirators in the Pahalgam attack. Officials say Thokar is affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba and helped plan the massacre alongside Pakistani operatives.The family's home in Tral was one of two buildings reduced to rubble on Thursday night. The second belonged to another local man suspected of terror links. According to officials, the explosions took place during a search operation for alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives Adil Hussain Thokar and Asif Sheikh. Authorities claim the homes contained explosives that went off while being examined by security personnel.The Anantnag Police has announced a reward of ₹20 lakh for credible information leading to the arrest of Adil Hussain Thokar, along with two other Lashkar terrorists identified as Ali Bhai and Hashim Musa. All three are accused of playing central roles in orchestrating the deadly assault in Baisaran, a tourist meadow about seven kilometres from Pahalgam.Investigators say Thokar legally visited Pakistan in 2018 via the Attari-Wagah border, where he received terrorist training. He allegedly returned to Jammu and Kashmir covertly last year and has since been aiding cross-border operatives with logistics and planning.The Pahalgam attack is being described as the deadliest in the region since the scrapping of Article 370 in 2019. The six attackers, dressed in Army fatigues, reportedly targeted tourists based on their religion. Witnesses say the gunmen asked victims to identify themselves and recite Islamic verses before opening fire.The assault, which occurred around 1:30 PM in a heavily patrolled area, killed 26 people—many of them tourists—and left several injured. Survivors described the scene as chaotic and terrifying, with gunfire echoing through the usually peaceful meadow ringed by pine forests and snow-capped peaks.While authorities defend the demolitions as part of counter-terror operations, families of the suspects claim they are being punished without trial. 'We are innocent,' the sister said again, standing amid the rubble of her home. 'They didn't even let me speak to my parents. They just came and destroyed everything.'Security has since been tightened across the region as the manhunt continues for the fugitives. The government has reiterated its commitment to dismantling local support networks for foreign terrorists, even as the emotional fallout from the attack and its aftermath spreads through the Valley.