Omar Abdullah claims locals ‘forced to help terrorists’ after NIA arrested 2 Kashmiris for harbouring Pahalgam attackers

Pahalgam terror attack: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday defended local residents after the National Investigation Agency arrested two Kashmiri men for allegedly “harbouring the terrorists responsible for the deadly 22 April attack in Pahalgam”. Speaking to reporters, CM Abdullah said, “There was no local involvement in the Pahalgam attack; the residents arrested by the NIA were forced to help the terrorists.”

Two Kashmiri men have been arrested by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) for harbouring the terrorists responsible for the deadly April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists. 

The accused, Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar, both residents of Pahalgam, were produced before a local court in Jammu and remanded to NIA custody for five days for further interrogation.

According to the NIA, the two men knowingly sheltered the three armed terrorists in a seasonal hut at Hill Park before the attack, providing them with food, shelter and logistical support. 

The terrorists were identified as Pakistani nationals affiliated with the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The NIA stated that the accused disclosed the identities of the three attackers during interrogation.

This development marks a significant breakthrough in the Pahalgam terror attack investigation, as it confirms the attackers’ Pakistani origin and their links to LeT. Initial police sketches released shortly after the attack, which included one local suspect, have now been deemed inaccurate by central agencies, raising questions about the early handling of the investigation.

Omar Abdullah On Infrastructure Development 

CM Omar Abdullah also provided an update on infrastructure development in Jammu and Kashmir. Thanking the PM Narendra Modi government ‘for approving a package of ₹10,600 crores’, the J&K CM said, “I am thankful to the central government for approving a package of ₹10,600 crores for connectivity infrastructure yesterday. A tunnel for the Mughal Road, Sadhana Tunnel, and flyover projects. It is a huge step to increase connectivity”.

Abdullah said, “We had promised the people that we would develop the infrastructure... Our focus is not just on tourism infrastructure.”

“People had been demanding a tunnel at the Mughal road for a year-long connectivity. Soon, the work for the tunnel on the Mughal Road will begin,” Abdullah said.