Substantial proof gathered against Pak terrorists: NIA in Pahalgam case

THe subject investigating federal agency (NIA) on mon said it has gathered substantive body of evidence regarding the identities of three Pakistani terrorists involved in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack based on witness testimonies, video footage, technical evidence and sketches released by Jammu and Kashmir Police.The agency, however, refused to name the three Pakistani terrorists saying their identities and other details will be shared at an “appropriate time”. The agency added that media reports or social media posts regarding the identifies and sketches of terrorists are “speculative in nature”.“The NIA has gathered a substantial body of evidence regarding the identities of the terrorists. This includes eyewitness accounts from victims, video footages, technical evidence, and the sketches released by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. All this evidence is being carefully analysed and NIA has not reached any conclusions at this stage,” said the NIA in a statement on Monday. “The identities and further details of the terrorists will be made public at an appropriate time.”Also Read | NIA gets 5-day remand of duo who aided terrorists behind Pahalgam terror attackThe statement comes a day after two people were arrested for allegedly harbouring the three terrorists behind the Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives. On Monday, a local court in Jammu granted the NIA five-day remand of the two accused, identified as Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar from Pahalgam.“It is reiterated that, as stated in the official press release dated 22 June 2025, two accused persons have been arrested in connection with the attack. During their interrogation, they have disclosed details about the identities of the three armed terrorists involved,” the NIA said on Monday.local court in Jammu on Monday granted the National Investigation Agency (NIA) five-day remand of two people who were arrested for allegedly harbouring three Pakistani terrorists behind the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack which claimed 26 lives.Also Read | Security tightened for Amarnath Yatra; extra checkpoints planned in JammuA bench of additional district and sessions judge (Jammu) Ritesh Kumar Dubey sent the two men — Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar from Pahalgam — to NIA custody for five days till June 27.The duo was arrested on Sunday, NIA officials said, adding that it marked the first breakthrough in the investigations into the attack.“It is reiterated that, as stated in the official press release dated 22 June 2025, two accused persons have been arrested in connection with the attack. During their interrogation, they have disclosed details about the identities of the three armed terrorists involved,” the statement said.The agency had said on Sunday that Parvaiz and Bashir had knowingly harboured the three armed terrorists at a seasonal dhok (hut) at Hill Park before the attack. “The two men had provided food, shelter and logistical support to the terrorists who selectively killed the tourists on the basis of their religious identity,” it said on Sunday.“The duo has also 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 anti-terror agency said.The Resistance Front, a proxy group for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba organisation, claimed responsibility for the attack. Indian agencies say the group is a front used by Pakistan to avoid international sanctions.As first reported by HT on April 24, intelligence agencies traced the attack’s digital communications to safe houses in Muzaffarabad and Karachi, establishing Pakistani involvement in what officials described as similar to the control room-operated 2008 Mumbai attacks.India responded with Operation Sindoor on May 7, bombing nine terrorist camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in pre-dawn strikes that killed at least 100 militants. The operation sparked four days of cross-border fighting involving fighter jets, missiles and artillery