Pahalgam Terror Attack: Days after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack case, media reports citing the probe agency sources claimed that the terrorists behind the heinous attack remain active and hidden in south Kashmir.

Meanwhile, media reports citing senior officials also suggested that the perpetrators of the attack, which claimed the lives of at least 26 people and left several others injured, were present in Baisaran Valley two days before the attack. The reports also claimed that the disclosure was made during the interrogation of one of the arrested Over Ground Workers (OGWs) in connection with the attack.

There is credible input suggesting that more terrorists may still be hiding in the region, according to the reports. They further stated that during the attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley, there were suspicions of more terrorists present maintaining a distance, possibly to provide cover fire in case security forces responded rapidly. The terrorists reached Pahalgam on April 15 and carried out reconnaissance of at least four locations. The locations include the picturesque Baisaran Valley.

The other three potential targets, Aru Valley, the local amusement park, and Betaab Valley, were also under surveillance by the terrorists. According to the reports, tight security arrangements in these zones deterred the terrorists from executing the attack there. Meanwhile, NIA Director General Sadanand Date on Thursday arrived at Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam as the agency began its probe into the matter.

Earlier on Sunday, the national probe agency took over the Pahalgam terror attack case from Jammu and Kashmir Police and began its investigation into the deadly attack that resulted in the killing of 26 tourists, sources told news agency ANI.

The central anti-terror agency formally registered a fresh FIR late Saturday following an order issued from the Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalisation (CTCR) division of the Ministry of Home Affairs considering the gravity of the case, as Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba’s proxy, the Resistance Front (TRF), has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The NIA took over the case five days after the incident and four days after its team visited the attack site and started supporting the Jammu and Kashmir Police in probing what is considered the deadliest assault on civilians in the region in almost twenty years.

Official sources privy to the development told ANI that “the NIA has formally taken over the case from the Jammu and Kashmir Police and stated its investigation.” The team of the probe agency is expected to conduct a thorough assessment of the attack site, collect forensic evidence, and help in identifying those responsible for the carnage. The NIA’s move comes amid intelligence agencies compiling a list of 14 local terrorists actively operating in the Union Territory. 

These individuals, aged between 20 and 40 years, are actively aiding foreign terrorists from Pakistan by providing logistical and ground-level support, ANI reported, citing sources. The identified operatives are reportedly affiliated with three major Pakistan-backed terror outfits: Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Among them, three are associated with Hizbul Mujahideen, eight with LeT, and three with JeM.

ANI sources revealed the names of these individuals 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). The identification of these local terror aides comes as agencies intensify efforts to dismantle the support networks facilitating cross-border terrorism.

Security forces have launched coordinated operations across South Kashmir, particularly in Anantnag and Pulwama districts, where many of the listed individuals are believed to be operating. Senior officials indicate that these names are part of a larger intelligence dossier being used to preempt further attacks and disrupt terror logistics in the Valley.

(With ANI Inputs)