New Delhi, June 22: India’s federal counter-terrorism agency has arrested two men for allegedly sheltering Pakistani militants responsible for the April 22 terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam region that killed 26 tourists and injured 16 others, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Sunday.
The arrests of Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar, both residents of Pahalgam, mark the first detentions in the high-profile case, which has further strained ties between India and Pakistan.
According to the NIA, the two men provided food, shelter, and logistical support to the attackers – three militants linked to the proscribed Pakistani group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) – at a seasonal hut in Hill Park, days before the massacre.
“In a major breakthrough… the NIA has arrested two men for harbouring the terrorists who had carried out the horrendous attack that killed 26 innocent tourists,” the agency said in a statement.
The attack, which authorities say involved selective targeting based on religious identity, was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a group India describes as a proxy for LeT.
The federal agency said the detained men disclosed the identities of the attackers as Hashim Musa alias Suleiman, Ali Bhai alias Talha Bhai – both Pakistani nationals – and Adil Hussain Thokker, a local operative. Each carries a reward of ₹2 million (approximately $24,000).
“The two men had provided food, shelter and logistical support to the terrorists… making it one of the most gruesome terrorist attacks ever,” the NIA said.
Investigators have so far questioned over 2,000 individuals, including pony operators, vendors, and local residents, and carried out raids at 32 locations across Kashmir. The arrests follow weeks of intensified raids involving Jammu & Kashmir Police and central paramilitary forces, targeting overground workers of Pakistan-based terrorist outfits.
India’s intelligence agencies traced digital communications from the attack to safe houses in Muzaffarabad and Karachi, likening the coordination to the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
“Digital traces of the attackers led to safe houses in Muzaffarabad and Karachi, echoing the control-room tactics seen in the 2008 Mumbai attacks,” an intelligence official told HT.
In retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, bombing nine terrorist camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, reportedly killing over 100 militants. The airstrikes triggered four days of cross-border hostilities, with Indian jets striking 13 Pakistani military sites before a ceasefire was restored on May 10.
The case is being investigated under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and remains open under file number RC-02/2025/NIA/JMU.
India accuses Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism, a claim Islamabad denies. Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours remain high in the wake of the Pahalgam killings and subsequent military operations.
