India arrests two for allegedly harbouring gunmen behind Kashmir tourist killings
SRINAGAR, June 22 — New Delhi's counter-terrorism agency said today it has arrested two men in India-administered Kashmir for allegedly harbouring Pakistani gunmen behind a deadly attack on civilians that sparked a days-long conflict between the two countries.
India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) said the two suspects were from the Pahalgam area, where gunmen killed 26 people two months ago.
'The two men had provided food, shelter and logistical support to the terrorists, who had... selectively killed the tourists on the basis of their religious identity,' a statement by NIA said. The majority of those killed were Hindu men.
The agency identified the two men as Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar, claiming the duo 'have disclosed the identities of the three armed terrorists involved in the attack', and have confirmed they were Pakistani nationals affiliated to the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group.
New Delhi has accused Pakistan of backing the attack without making public any evidence, and Islamabad has denied the charge.
The April 22 killings triggered a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures by the nuclear-armed countries and led to intense exchanges of missile, drone and artillery fire.
The four-day conflict left more than 70 people dead on both sides.
Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between the South Asian rivals — claimed by both in full — since their independence from British rule in 1947, and the neighbours have fought two wars over its control.
Rebel groups, demanding the divided region's independence or merger with Pakistan, have waged an insurgency since 1989. — AFP
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