No headway in search for Pahalgam attackers

Hindustan Times

17-05-2025

Almost a month after the Pahalgam terror attack, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Jammu and Kashmir Police are yet to get a major breakthrough in the search for the three terrorists (two foreigners and a local) who carried out the strike, officials privy to the probe said.
At least 26 people, 25 tourists and a local, were killed in the terror attack at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on April 22.
Senior officers of the NIA are still camping in Pahalgam.
'The investigation is underway and multiple agencies are working on leads. The three terrorists, whose sketches were released, are at large. It is a matter of time that they will be traced,' said a senior police officer privy to investigations.
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'The forces are getting leads from multiple agencies and officials are working meticulously to track them,' the official added.
According to the information, the terrorists had fled to forests in south Kashmir after the attack.
The NIA and police have questioned hundreds of locals, tour operators, families of terror victims and those who were present in Baisaran when at the time of the attack.
'The investigation is on, and officers can't reveal everything about the case at this juncture as it could hamper investigation,' said an NIA officer posted in area.
On Friday, Victor Force General Officer Commanding (GoC) Major General Dhananjay Joshi said after the attack, forces have been focusing on several parts in south Kashmir...
'Since the Pahalgam attack, we have concentrated on some areas as our focus area. We were getting inputs that terror groups had reached higher reaches of forested areas as snow started melting,' he said.
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Kashmir inspector general of police (IGP) VK Birdi had that forces reviewed their strategy in south Kashmir.
Following the April 22 terror attack, army and police launched a combing operation in the forests of south Kashmir and Kishtwar district in Jammu division. Police have announced a ₹20-lakh reward for providing information about the terrorists.
Soon after the attack, investigators uncovered involvement of three terrorists and police released details of two foreigners and a local. The accused were identified as Adil Hussain Thoker, Hashim Musa and Adil Bhai.
Musa alias Suleiman and Ali Bhai alias Talha Bhai are Pakistani nationals. Police say both of them have been active for the past one or two years in south Kashmir.
The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy outfit of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) had claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack.