NIA Takes Over Pahalgam Terrorist Attack Case From J-Ok Police, Begins Investigation

NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the Pahalgam terror assault case from Jammu and Kashmir Police and begun its investigation into the fatal assault that resulted within the killing of 26 vacationers, most sensible assets informed ANI. The Central anti-terror company officially registered a recent FIR on past due Saturday following an order issued from the Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalisation (CTCR) department of the Ministry of Home Affairs taking into account the gravity of the case as Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba’s proxy, the Resistance Front (TRF), has claimed duty for the assault.

The NIA took over the case 5 days after the incident and 4 days after its crew visited the assault web site and began supporting the Jammu and Kashmir Police in probing what is regarded as the deadliest attack on civilians within the area in nearly 20 years. The NIA crew, led via a Deputy Inspector General-rank officer, had visited Baisaran on April 23, the day after the assault.

Official assets, aware about the advance, informed ANI that “the NIA has formally taken over the case from the Jammu and Kashmir Police and stated its investigation.” The NIA’s investigation is essential, because the April 22 assault resulted in the demise of 26 vacationers, together with one Nepali citizen, and left over 3 dozen others injured. The incident came about round 2 PM at Baisaran meadow, close to the preferred vacationer the city of Pahalgam.

The NIA crew is anticipated to behavior a radical evaluation of the assault web site, gather forensic proof, and lend a hand in figuring out the ones accountable for the carnage. Authorities pressed a chopper into carrier for the evacuation of the injured individuals. The assault comes at a time when Kashmir is experiencing an important uptick in vacationer arrivals after years of militancy. Notably, the 38-day Amarnath Yatra is ready to start on July 3.

The NIA’s transfer comes amid intelligence businesses compiling a listing of 14 native terrorists actively working within the Union Territory. According to assets, those folks, elderly between 20 and 40 years, are actively helping international terrorists from Pakistan via offering logistical and ground-level toughen. The recognized operatives are reportedly affiliated with 3 primary Pakistan-backed terror outfits: Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Among them, 3 are related to Hizbul Mujahideen, 8 with LeT, and 3 with JeM.

Sources printed the names of those folks as: Adil Rehman Dentoo (21), Asif Ahmed Sheikh (28), Ahsan Ahmed Sheikh (23), Haris Nazir (20), Aamir Nazir Wani (20), Yawar Ahmed Bhat, Asif Ahmed Khanday (24), Naseer Ahmed Wani (21), Shahid Ahmed Kutay (27), Aamir Ahmed Dar, Adnan Safi Dar, Zubair Ahmed Wani (39), Haroon Rashid Ganai (32), and Zakir Ahmed Ganie (29).

Dentoo joined LeT in 2021 and is actively running because the Sopore district commander of the banned outfit. Asif Ahmed Sheikh, a terrorist of JeM, is the district commander of Awantipora and has been steadily fascinated by terrorist actions since 2022. Ahsan Ahmed Sheikh is energetic in Pulwama as a LeT terrorist and has been fascinated by terrorist actions steadily since 2023. Haris Nazir is a terrorist from Pulwama and energetic in LeT since 2023, whilst Aamir Nazir Wani may be an energetic terrorist in Pulwama connected to JeM since 2024. Yawar Ahmed Bhat may be utterly energetic in Pulwama and has been related to JeM since 2024.

Asif Ahmed Khanday is a terrorist from Shopian district in Jammu and Kashmir, and he joined Hizbul Mujahideen in July 2015, and is recently an energetic member of the fear team helping Pakistani terrorists. Naseer Ahmed Wani may be actively fascinated by terrorist actions in Shopian since 2019 as an energetic member of LeT considerably helping Pakistani terrorists. Shahid Ahmed Kutay, any other energetic terrorist in Shopian, is connected with LeT and its proxy team, The Resistance Front (TRF), since 2023.

Aamir Ahmed Dar, additionally energetic in Shopian since 2023, is operating with LeT and play a significant position as an aide to international terrorists. Adnan Safi Dar, who’s any other energetic terrorist from Shopian district, is operating collectively for LeT and TRF since 2024, and acts as a conduit for info from Pakistani handlers to terrorists. Zubair Ahmed Wani alias Abu Ubaida alias Usman is the Chief Operational Commander of Hizbul Mujahideen in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. He is classified as an A+ energetic terrorist and considerably aids different terrorists and has been implicated more than one instances in assaults on safety forces since 2018.

Haroon Rashid Ganai, an energetic Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist additionally from Anantnag, is at the seek radar of safety forces. He had previous travelled to Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), the place he won coaching in 2018. He reportedly got here again to South Kashmir not too long ago. However, Zubair Ahmed Gani, a significant terrorist from Kulgam district in Jammu and Kashmir, is related to LeT and steadily fascinated by assaults on safety forces and centered killings.

The identity of those native terror aides comes as businesses accentuate efforts to dismantle the toughen networks facilitating cross-border terrorism. Security forces have introduced coordinated operations throughout South Kashmir, in particular in Anantnag and Pulwama districts, the place most of the indexed persons are believed to be working. Senior officers point out that those names are a part of a bigger intelligence file getting used to pre-empt additional assaults and disrupt terror logistics within the Valley.

The businesses are engaged find hyperlinks between those 14 terrorists and the 5 terrorists who have been concerned within the assault. The unlock of the record of those 14 native energetic terrorists is a transfer adopted via investigators recognized 5 terrorists concerned within the fatal assault, together with 3 Pakistani nationals. The government had previous additionally launched 3 sketches of those Pakistani terrorists, Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah and Abu Talha. The different two Valley-based operatives have been recognized as Adil Guri and Ahsan. A bounty of Rs 20 lakh on each and every has additionally been introduced.