Srinagar: In a breakthrough, The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today revealed how local collaboration played a crucial role in the terror attack at Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, which left 26 civilians dead.
The NIA arrested two local residents Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar, for providing accommodation to three Pakistan-based LeT terrorists in the days prior to the attack. The duo worked as pony riders in Baisaran Valley and provided logistical support to the terrorists in the execution of the attack. Today, a local court remanded the accused to five days of NIA custody for further questioning.
The arrested individuals, according to the NIA, sheltered the terrorists in a ‘dhok’ in Baisaran on April 20 and 21 and supplied food and other logistics to them. They also conducted recce and provided information about the security force movement in Baisaran, including the timings of patrolling. The locals shared the vital intelligence about the movement of tourists with the terrorists. Based on that, the perpetrators executed the attack, targeting the tourists based on their religion.
Surprisingly, the LeT paid only a few thousand rupees to the two local accomplices for their involvement. They admitted to knowing about the attack plan but said they didn’t know tourists would be the main target. Driven by greed, they aided in the massacre of 26 individuals, which included 25 tourists and one local resident.
The NIA had a chain of evidence ranging from victims’ statements to video footage, technical “We are doing our job in a professional manner, and soon other associates of the accused will be exposed,” said an NIA spokesperson.
The recent arrests in the case demonstrate how the involvement of local collaborators has evolved significantly. The NIA will pursue all lines of inquiry to apprehend the perpetrators of the terror attack on civilians and to establish a clean network.
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