A court in Jammu on Monday granted the National Investigation Agency five-day custody of two men arrested for sheltering Pakistani terrorists involved in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people and injured 16 others. The accused, Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar of Batkote and Bashir Ahmad Jothar of Hill Park in Pahalgam, were arrested by the NIA on Sunday. The two men were produced before Additional District and Sessions Judge Ritesh Kumar Dubey and were sent to NIA custody till June 27.
According to the NIA, Parvaiz and Bashir had knowingly provided shelter, food and logistical support to three armed terrorists at a seasonal hut in Hill Park before the attack. According to the reports, during interrogation, the accused revealed the identities of the attackers and confirmed they were Pakistani nationals linked to the banned terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Reports suggest that the both accused worked as pony handlers and lived in tents near the site of the attack in Baisaran meadows. The April 22 assault killed 24 Indian tourists, one Kashmiri local and one Nepalese national. The case was initially registered by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, which released sketches of the suspects. It was later handed over to the NIA following a directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The NIA was among the first agencies to reach the site after the incident and deployed a team led by a senior officer of Inspector General rank. Investigators have recorded statements from more than a thousand people, including locals, to gather evidence.
India responded to the attack with precision air strikes on May 7 under Operation Sindoor. The strikes targeted terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, including facilities linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.