A special court in Jammu on Monday granted the National Investigation Agency (NIA) a five-day remand of two brothers who were arrested for harboring the Pakistani terrorists involved in the horrific terror attack in the Baisaran Valley of Pahalgam, in north Kashmir's Anantnag district, on April 22.
The two brothers—Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar of Batkote, Pahalgam, and Bashir Ahmad Jothar of Hill Park, Pahalgam—were arrested by the NIA on Sunday in the first major breakthrough in the investigation into the attack that left 26 people, mostly tourists, dead and 16 others injured.
After their arrest by NIA sleuths in south Kashmir, both accused were shifted to Jammu for further investigation. Within hours, they were produced before Additional District and Sessions Judge Ritesh Kumar Dubey in Jammu and were remanded to NIA custody for five days, until June 27.
Two brothers arrested for harbouring Pahalgam massacre perpetrators
On Sunday, the NIA arrested two residents of Pahalgam in south Kashmir for allegedly harbouring three Pakistani terrorists who carried out the massacre that left 26 people dead and 16 grievously injured.
The arrested individuals—Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar of Batkote and Bashir Ahmad Jothar of Hill Park—were taken into custody following an extensive investigation, according to media reports.
According to the NIA, the two "knowingly" sheltered the terrorists at a seasonal dhok (hut) in the Hill Park area, just 3 kilometres from the attack site in Baisaran Valley. They provided the terrorists with food, shelter, and logistical support.
In a statement, the agency said the accused confirmed that the attackers were Pakistani nationals affiliated with the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit. This marks the first official confirmation of the nationality and affiliation of the gunmen responsible for what authorities have described as one of the most gruesome attacks in recent memory, targeting tourists based on their religious identity.
The arrests have significantly shifted the direction of the investigation. Shortly after the attack, Jammu and Kashmir Police had released sketches of three suspects, including two Pakistani nationals—Hashim Musa and Ali Bhai—and one local, Adil Hussain Thoker. However, during interrogation, the arrested duo did not identify either of them as the attackers.
Instead, the NIA now believes the assailants include a man named Suleman Shah, who was also involved in the Z-Morh tunnel killings last October, where seven workers were shot dead. Shah's co-accused in that case, Junaid Ramzan Bhat, was later killed in a police encounter in December.
Investigators recovered photographs from Junaid's phone showing Shah alongside three others. These images were shown to Parvaiz and Bashir during interrogation, and both identified them as the men they had hosted shortly before the Pahalgam attack. Several independent witnesses also confirmed seeing the same individuals at the crime scene, further strengthening the case.
The NIA has booked the two accused under Section 19 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. Their arrests follow the questioning of over two thousand locals across Kashmir in the aftermath of the April killings. Authorities had earlier announced a ₹20 lakh reward for information leading to a breakthrough in the case.
