Pahalgam killings: Key eyewitness tells NIA that terrorists fired in ‘celebration’ after the attack, says report

Srinagar: A key eyewitness to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack told investigators that the gunmen fired four shots into the air in celebration after killing 26 civilians in Baisaran meadow, The Indian Express reported.

The eyewitness, as per The Indian Express report, described as a “star protected witness” — was tracked by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) with help from the Jammu and Kashmir Police and central intelligence agencies. He encountered the three Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists shortly after the killings.

Last month, the NIA arrested two locals — Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad — for allegedly sheltering the attackers. “They disclosed the identities of the three armed terrorists and confirmed that they were Pakistani nationals affiliated to the Lashkar-e-Toiba,” an NIA spokesperson had earlier said.

As the probe progressed, the NIA located the key eyewitness who recounted being stopped by the terrorists. He was asked to recite the kalma, and once they heard his local accent, they let him go. A source told The Indian Express that the men then fired four rounds in the air, allegedly in celebration. Based on his account, investigators recovered four used cartridges from the scene.

The eyewitness also informed investigators that Parvaiz and Bashir were seen standing near a hilltop, apparently guarding the attackers’ belongings, which the militants later retrieved, the report said.

Further details gathered during the investigation indicate that Parvaiz told interrogators the three gunmen visited his home a day before the attack around 3:30pm. Armed and seeking food, they questioned him and his family about security in Baisaran, tourist hotspots, movement timings, and routes. The Indian Express quoted a central intelligence source saying the attackers stayed for nearly four hours before leaving with packed rice and spices, and left five Rs 500 notes behind.

They later met Bashir and asked the two locals to be at Baisaran by 12:30 pm on April 22, before heading towards a seasonal hut in Hill Park, sources told The Indian Express.

One of the attackers is suspected to be Suleiman Shah, allegedly involved in the killing of seven workers at the Z-Morh tunnel site on October 20 last year, according to the report.