No Locals Were Involved In Pahalgam Terror Attack, Says CM Omar Abdullah
His statement came days after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested two locals---Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar--- for allegedly harbouring the terrorists.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said that there is no local involvement in the April 22's Pahalgam terror attack which claimed the lives of 26 individuals, mostly tourists. He further said that those who allegedly provided shelter to terrorists 'probably did so under duress."
'There was no local involvement in the Pahalgam incident. The people who shot and killed those 26 persons were all outsiders," Abdullah said during an inauguration event in Gulmarg on Tuesday.
His statement came days after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested two locals—Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar— for allegedly harbouring the terrorists in Pahalgam's Hill Park area.
'According to the NIA investigation, two locals have been arrested for assisting them, possibly by providing food, though coercion cannot be ruled out. Let the investigation proceed," Abdullah added.
He further emphasised that the ongoing NIA probe would determine further details, with legal proceedings to follow.
The Chief Minister further urged the probe agency 'not to draw sweeping conclusions." 'We must not allow the actions of a few foreign militants to paint our people as collaborators," Abdullah said.
Meanwhile, the NIA said that both the arrested suspects knew about the terror affiliations of the three gunmen and despite that provided them with shelter, food and logistical support in the days leading up to the April 22 attack.
The duo has also disclosed the identities of the three terrorists and have also confirmed that they were Pakistani nationals affiliated to the proscribed terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
A local court in Jammu on Monday granted the NIA five-day remand of the two the accused who were arrested.
Pahalgam Terror Attack
In one of the biggest attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, Lashkar-linked terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists in Pahalgam on Tuesday, April 22, killing at least 26 people, including foreign tourists, and injuring many others. The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar offshoot, claimed responsibility for the attack, although it later backtracked after massive global outrage.
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.
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June 25, 2025, 08:10 IST
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