NIA to file chargesheet in Pahalgam attack case today

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is set to file a charge sheet in connection with the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed by Pakistan-based terrorists, officials said.

The charge sheet will be submitted before a special NIA court in Jammu. Investigations have established the direct involvement of three terrorists in the April 22 attack, officials added.

In June, the NIA, in a statement, said that it arrested two local men for allegedly harbouring the terrorists, who were later killed by armed forces in July.

The arrested accused — Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar of Batkote and Bashir Ahmad Jothar of Pahalgam — revealed that the attackers were Pakistani nationals associated with the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), PTI reported.

According to the agency details, the duo provided food, shelter and logistical assistance to the terrorists.

The three LeT militants were killed in an encounter on July 28 on the outskirts of Srinagar during an operation codenamed Operation Mahadev. Officials said the terrorists had been hiding in the Dachigam-Harwan forest belt since the attack.

Following the Pahalgam terror strike, Indian armed forces on May 7 carried out precision strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir under Operation Sindoor.

As per statements issued by the Defence Ministry earlier, the operation targeted nine locations, including LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters and training facilities used to plan and direct attacks against India.