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Pahalgam probe revealed communication nodes of terrorists, handlers in Pakistan: MEA
Indian security officers inspect the site in Pahalgam where militants indiscriminately opened fired at tourists on Tuesday, Pahalgam, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo)
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has told a parliamentary committee that the initial investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack has revealed that the attackers were in touch with their handlers in Pakistan.
In a presentation before the panel, the ministry said the probe had identified 'communication nodes' between the terrorists and their 'masterminds in Pakistan.'
The nature of the attack bore 'footprints and tracks' similar to previous strikes claimed by The Resistance Front, which the MEA described as another name for the banned terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
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The ministry asserted that Pakistan's role as a sanctuary for terror groups is 'well established' and backed by credible evidence. It also dismissed Islamabad's accusations that India was responsible for killings on Pakistani soil—allegations termed 'extra-judicial' and 'extra-territorial'—as baseless and lacking any factual support.
It is meant to draw a false equivalence between the two countries to suggest that both neighbours are victims of cross-border terrorism which is not the case, it said in the presentation.
UN-designated terrorists roam freely in Pakistan and continue to incite violence against India, the ministry said in its presentation to the Standing Committee on External Affairs headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
The Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes early on May 7 at nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's Muridke base.
The strikes were conducted under Operation Sindoor two weeks after the execution-style killing of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.
Over 100 terrorists, including high-value targets such as Yusuf Azhar, Abdul Malik Rauf and Mudasir Ahmed, were eliminated during Operation Sindoor, according to the Indian military.
India and Pakistan reached an agreement on May 10 to halt military actions after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
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Following the pause, the Union government formed seven delegations comprising 51 political leaders, parliamentarians and former ministers cutting across party lines who will travel to world capitals to put across India's resolve to tackle terrorism.
With inputs from agencies
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