PNN – The Hindustan Times newspaper, in a report on the latest investigation into the terrorist attack in the Pahalgam region of Kashmir, quoted security sources as saying that 15 local operatives involved in the attack have been identified.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, the Hindustan Times newspaper, citing security sources in the country, noted that one of the charges against these individuals was their connection with individuals from Pakistan.
Gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists in the tourist area of Palgham, about 90 kilometers from Srinagar in Indian Kashmir, killing at least 26 people on Tuesday evening. Indian officials described the incident as a terrorist attack and alleged Pakistani involvement in the attack.
Islamabad has so far denied any connection to this terrorist attack, and Pakistani Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi also announced yesterday that Islamabad is ready to join a transparent and independent investigation into the recent attack on tourists in India, saying: His country has information about the presence of Israeli nationals in Indian-occupied Kashmir and is investigating it.
Security sources told The Times of India that 15 local operatives (OGWs) of terror groups have been identified as the main suspects in the Pahalgam attack, citing electronic surveillance data. They were responsible for providing logistical equipment and possibly receiving arms consignments from a foreign country, the sources said.
The Times of India, citing informed sources, wrote: The multi-pronged investigation is focused on five main suspects, out of whom three have been arrested and there is a possibility of their formal arrest. The sources added that two other suspects are also being sought. According to investigations, their mobile phones were active at the scene on the day of the attack and in the days before.
The sources said electronic surveillance had recorded a conversation between the three arrested suspects, in which they discussed the presence of terrorists in Pahalgam and how to help them.
According to security sources, more than 200 local operatives have been detained for questioning in connection with the attack to determine the sequence of events leading up to the attack.
Sources said there is sufficient circumstantial evidence linking the five arrested suspects to the Pahalgam attack. Ten other local operatives are also being questioned by a joint investigation team comprising the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Jammu and Kashmir Police, Intelligence Bureau and RAW, sources said.
The Times of India wrote: Sources said that these 15 people are registered in the police database as collaborators of terrorist groups and have previously collaborated with terrorists in south Kashmir, including in providing logistical equipment, guiding them through forest areas and receiving arms shipments from foreign countries.
The Indian media outlet quoted an Indian security source as saying: Information obtained shows that the attackers’ team consisted of four to five terrorists, two of whom were Pakistanis and two were local residents of Kashmir. We are trying to obtain more details of this conspiracy by completing the interrogations.
According to security sources, security searches are continuing in the forests surrounding the area where the attack took place to find the attackers.
Following the escalation of tensions, India suspended the shared waterway treaty known as the “Indus Treaty” and Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian aircraft.
A lesser-known militant group called the Kashmir Resistance claimed responsibility for the attack in Pahalgam. Meanwhile, Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged fire for the third consecutive night in the disputed Kashmir region on Sunday night.