A special court in Jammu on Monday granted the National Investigation Agency (NIA) a 10-day extension of remand for two brothers arrested for harbouring Pakistani terrorists involved in the horrific terror attack in the Baisaran Valley of Pahalgam, located in north Kashmir's Anantnag district, on April 22.
The two accused, Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar, were arrested by NIA sleuths on June 22 from south Kashmir's Anantnag district. Following the expiry of their initial 10-day remand, they were produced before the Special NIA Court in Jammu, which granted the agency additional time to continue its investigation.
Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar, a resident of Batkote, Pahalgam, and Bashir Ahmad Jothar, from Hill Park, Pahalgam, were apprehended exactly two months after the deadly attack that left 26 people dead, most of them tourists, and 16 others injured. Their arrest marked the first major breakthrough in the probe.
After being taken into custody in South Kashmir, the accused were shifted to Jammu for further interrogation. Within hours, they were presented before Additional District and Sessions Judge Ritesh Kumar Dubey, who initially remanded them to NIA custody until June 27.
Brothers Provided Shelter to Pakistani Terrorists
As reported earlier, the NIA has revealed that the two brothers "knowingly" sheltered Pakistani terrorists in a seasonal dhok (hut) located in the Hill Park area, approximately 3 kilometers from the Baisaran attack site. They allegedly provided food, shelter, and logistical support to the assailants.
According to the NIA, the accused confirmed that the attackers were Pakistani nationals affiliated with the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror outfit. This statement marks the first official confirmation of the attackers' nationality and affiliation, with authorities describing the incident as one of the most gruesome attacks in recent memory, targeting tourists based on their religious identity.
The arrests have significantly shifted the course of the investigation. Initially, Jammu and Kashmir Police had released sketches of three suspects—two Pakistani nationals, Hashim Musa and Ali Bhai, and one local, Adil Hussain Thoker. However, during interrogation, the Jothar brothers did not identify any of them as the perpetrators.
Instead, the NIA now suspects that one of the attackers was Suleman Shah, who was also involved in the Z-Morh tunnel killings last October, in which seven workers were shot dead. Shah's accomplice in that case, Junaid Ramzan Bhat, was later killed in a police encounter in December 2024.
During the investigation, officials recovered photographs from Junaid's phone, showing Suleman Shah with three others. These images were shown to Parvaiz and Bashir, who positively identified them as the men they had hosted shortly before the Pahalgam attack. Several independent witnesses also confirmed seeing the same individuals near the crime scene, further strengthening the case.
The NIA has booked the brothers under Section 19 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. Their arrest followed the questioning of many locals across Kashmir in the wake of the April 22 massacre. Authorities had earlier announced a ₹20 lakh reward for any information leading to a breakthrough in the case.
