The network of top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Farooq Ahmad played a key role in helping the Pakistan-based terrorists carry out the attack in Pahalgam, according to National Investigation Agency (NIA) sources. Ahmad’s house in Kupwara was recently demolished by security forces as part of its crackdown on the terror ecosystem in Kashmir.
Ahmad, currently believed to be in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), has played a key role in orchestrating multiple terror attacks in Kashmir over the past two years through his sleeper cell network. Among these, the Pahalgam attack, which left 25 tourists and a Kashmiri dead, has been identified as the most significant.
Sources also said that Ahmad has been facilitating infiltration into Kashmir from three sectors in Pakistan. The elusive Lashkar commander is known to have extensive knowledge of the mountainous routes of the Valley.
According to intelligence inputs, Ahmad travelled back and forth between Pakistan and India from 1990 until 2016. After the Pahalgam attack, several of his aides were taken into custody.
Sources also said that for the past two years, Ahmad has been using secure communication apps to contact his network in Kashmir while operating from Pakistan.
The horrific attack, one of the deadliest in Kashmir in recent years, was carried out by three terrorists in the scenic Baisaran valley, sources said. A fourth terrorist might also have been present in the forests surrounding the tourist spot.
Police have released the sketches of three terrorists behind the attack and announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh for any information leading to their arrest.
While the two Pakistani terrorists have been identified as Ali Bhai alias Talha and Hashim Musa alias Suleiman. The local Lashkar-e-Taiba recruit has been identified as Adil Hussain Thoker, believed to be the third Pahalgam attacker.
Thoker travelled to Pakistan in 2018 and received training in terror camps before infiltrating back into Jammu and Kashmir sometime last year. India Today
