NIA arrests two men for allegedly harbouring terrorists who carried out Pahalgam attack
The National Investigation Agency on Sunday said that it has arrested two men for allegedly harbouring the terrorists who carried out the attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22.
The agency identified the two men as Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar from Pahalgam's Batkote area and Bashir Ahmad Jothar from the town's Hill Park area.
It said that they disclosed the identities of the three armed terrorists who carried out the attack, and claimed that they also confirmed 'that they were Pakistani nationals affiliated to the proscribed terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba [LeT]'.
The National Investigation Agency claimed that the two men had 'knowingly harboured the three armed terrorists at a seasonal dhok [hut] at Hill Park before the attack'. They had provided food, shelter and logistical support to the terrorists, it alleged.
Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar were arrested under Section 19 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, the agency said. The provision lays out the punishment for harbouring or concealing terrorists.
The terror attack at Baisaran near the town of Pahalgam on April 22 left 26 persons dead and 16 injured. The terrorists targeted tourists after asking their names to ascertain their religion, the police said. All but three of those killed were Hindu.
In retaliation, the Indian military on May 7 carried out strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The Pakistan Army retaliated to Indian strikes by repeatedly shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. At least 22 Indian civilians and eight defence personnel were killed.
On May 10, India and Pakistan reached an 'understanding' to halt firing following a four-day conflict.
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