Pahalgam Attack: Terrorists Fired in Air to Escape; ISI May Have Deployed Fresh Module for Cover

Pahalgam Attack: NIA Probe Reveals Terrorists Fired in Air While Fleeing; ISI Suspected of Deploying New Module.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has made significant headway in its probe into the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Following the interrogation of two harbourers—Parvaiz Ahmed and Bashir Ahmad—a local eyewitness has now provided crucial testimony about the attackers’ escape.

According to officials, the witness saw the terrorists fleeing after the massacre in Baisaran Valley. “They fired in the air, likely to intimidate bystanders,” said a senior security official. Empty bullet casings recovered from the spot have validated the account.

The witness, who was asked to recite the Kalma, believes he was spared because his accent confirmed he was a local. Survivors have also reported that the attackers used religious profiling before killing 26 people.

Investigators have identified one of the attackers as Hashim Musa, a former Pakistani army regular and the suspected mastermind of the Sonmarg Z-Modh tunnel blast that killed six labourers and a doctor. The two others are believed to be recent infiltrators without prior records.

Officials suspect the attack was carried out by a newly formed Lashkar-e-Taiba module, deliberately kept separate from known local militants or Over Ground Workers (OGWs). “It appears to be an ISI tactic to enhance operational secrecy by using untraceable recruits,” an intelligence official said.

Though initial estimates suggested the involvement of 3–5 terrorists, the NIA has so far confirmed the identities of three Pakistani nationals affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba.