In a major breakthrough in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has confirmed that all three attackers involved were Pakistani nationals affiliated with the banned terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba. The confirmation came following the arrest of two local residents from Pahalgam, who allegedly sheltered and provided logistical support to the militants just days before the attack.
The two arrested men Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar from Batkote and Bashir Ahmad Jothar from Hill Park are accused of knowingly harbouring the armed terrorists in a seasonal dhok (hut) at Hill Park. According to a spokesperson for the NIA, the attackers had visited their homes on the evening of April 20, requesting food and shelter before executing the deadly assault two days later.
“During questioning, they 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-Toiba,” the NIA said in a statement.
The revelation marks a shift in the investigation’s trajectory. Initially, sketches released by Jammu and Kashmir police two days after the attack identified two Pakistani nationals Hashim Musa and Ali Bhai alias Talha and a local Kashmiri, Adil Hussain Thoker, as the suspects. However, sources within central agencies now assert that those individuals were not involved in the Pahalgam incident.
One of the attackers is believed to be Suleiman Shah, a Pakistani militant who was previously accused of killing seven employees of a firm constructing the Z-Morh tunnel on the Srinagar-Sonamarg highway in October 2023. His associate in that attack, Junaid Ramzan Bhat, was killed in a police encounter on December 4 last year. A photo recovered from Junaid’s mobile phone showing him alongside three armed men was initially circulated widely after the Pahalgam attack and used to produce police sketches.
However, during the recent investigation, central agencies and the NIA showed other images retrieved from Junaid’s phone to Parvaiz and Bashir. Both identified the men who had visited their homes before the Pahalgam attack. Multiple eyewitnesses at the crime scene also verified the identities of the three Pakistani terrorists based on the new visuals.
“Fresh pictures were also shown to several witnesses, and they too confirmed their presence at the crime scene. All three are Pakistani nationals, including the Z-Morh terror accused Suleman Shah,” a senior source in the investigation confirmed.
In addition to linking the attackers to the Pahalgam incident, the NIA is now reviewing their possible involvement in previous attacks. Suleman Shah is also being investigated for a deadly assault in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district in August 2023, where three Army personnel were killed. Another probe is examining whether he played a role in an attack in Jammu’s Poonch district in May 2023, which left one Air Force personnel dead and four others injured.
Before making the arrests, the NIA reportedly questioned more than 200 people in the region including pony operators, local shopkeepers, and photographers in an effort to trace the movements of the terrorists. A key lead came from the wives of Parvaiz and a local pony operator, who discussed details of the attackers’ visit.
The agency believes the terrorists paid the two locals some money and issued threats before leaving, warning them not to reveal anything to the authorities. “The two men had provided food, shelter, and logistical support to the terrorists,” the NIA spokesperson said. They have been charged under Section 19 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
With central agencies now revisiting ballistic reports and past terror cases, investigators hope to build a stronger case against the Pakistani attackers and their local collaborators. The arrest and identification mark a critical step forward in dismantling cross-border terror operations and ensuring accountability for the repeated targeting of security forces and civilians in Jammu and Kashmir.
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