Pakistan Link Confirmed in Pahalgam Attack: Lashkar Terrorists Killed in Operation Mahadev

New Delhi: Indian security agencies have confirmed that the three terrorists neutralized in Operation Mahadev were Pakistani nationals and key Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives responsible for the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people on April 22. Authorities presented biometric proof, official documents, and forensic evidence directly linking the perpetrators to Pakistan.

Operation Mahadev: Pakistan-Based Terror Route Uncovered

Security forces conducted a decisive encounter in the Dachigam forests near Srinagar on July 28, eliminating three high-ranking terrorists who were in hiding since the deadly attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadow.

“This is the first time we’ve recovered official Pakistani voter slips and biometric records that clearly confirm the terrorists’ nationality,” said a senior official.

Proof Collected from the Encounter

Authorities recovered:

Laminated voter slips from Pakistan’s Election Commission (NA-125 Lahore & NA-79 Gujranwala)

Biometric data (fingerprints, facial recognition, family trees) from NADRA, Pakistan’s national database

A satellite phone with call logs to handlers in PakistanGPS logs and eyewitness-aligned positions of gunfire

DNA samples matched with Pahalgam victims

Chocolates (CandyLand & ChocoMax) traced to PoK shipments

Identified Terrorists

• Suleman Shah aka Faizal Jatt – A++ category, lead shooter and mastermind
• Abu Hamza aka Afghan – A-grade, second shooter
• Yasir aka Jibran – A-grade commander, third shooter

They were sheltered by two local aides, Parvaiz and Bashir Ahmad Jothar, who are now in custody.

Pakistan’s Direct Involvement

The terrorists infiltrated through Gurez Sector in North Kashmir in May 2022.

Satellite phone evidence links them to LeT’s south Kashmir commander Sajid Saifullah Jatt.

Video footage shows LeT Rawalakot chief Rizwan Anees conducting Ghaibana Namaz-e-Janaza (funeral prayers in absentia) for the attackers on July 29.

Officials confirmed no local Kashmiri was involved in the Pahalgam attack, dismissing any domestic terror angle.