New Delhi:
The three terrorists involved in the attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam last year had lunch under a tree shortly before they killed 26 civilians, according to the chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the country’s top terror-fighting body.
25 tourists and a local civilian were killed when three Pakistani terrorists stormed out of pine forests and fired on crowds in the small mountain meadow of Baisaran on April 22. They shot dead the people who were unable to recite the ‘Kalma’ or ‘Kalima’, the foundational doctrines of Islam.
Photo Credit: Reuters
The three terrorists were later identified as Faisal Jatt alias Suleman Shah, Habeeb Tahir alias Jibran, and Hamza Afghani. All three were killed by the Indian security forces during ‘Operation Mahadev’ in the outskirts of Srinagar on July 29.
The 1,597-page chargesheet filed by the NIA before a special court details the deep conspiracy traced back to Pakistan.
The agency named Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), headed by Hafeez Saeed, who has been designated as a global terrorist by India, along with The Resistance Front (TRF), headed by Habibullah Malik, alias Sajid Jatt, for their role in planning, facilitating, and executing the deadly attack.
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Terrorists Stayed At A Local’s Home
A day before the attack, the three armed terrorists stayed at a local’s house near Baisaran. The local, Parvaiz Ahmad, said that around 5 PM on April 21, he was sitting with his wife and son inside their ‘dhok’ (hut).
“My mama (maternal uncle) Bashir Ahmad Jothatd walked in and told us to remain silent. He went outside and returned within a few moments, followed by three men carrying guns. The armed men sat down inside the dhok. They told me to give them water as they were very tired and thirsty, saying they had travelled a long distance,” Parvaiz told investigators, as per the NIA chargesheet.
Photo Credit: AFP
“I gave them water. After drinking, they told me that I would receive “sawaab” for giving water to men fighting in Allah’s path and waging jihad for the freedom of Kashmiri Muslims. They were speaking Urdu with a Punjabi touch and didn’t seem to be Kashmiris. I realised they were Mujahids. They told me to hide their bags and pouches. I hid them under my blankets/bedding lying in the dhok while they stayed there. I instructed my wife Tahira to prepare tea for all of us,” he said.
Parvaiz Ahmad and Bashir Ahmad Jothar were arrested on June 22 for harbouring the three terrorists.
Terrorists Had Lunch Before Attack
Before entering the Baisaran Valley, the three terrorists sat under a tree and ate lunch. After some time, they took out blankets from their bags and draped them over themselves, according to the chargesheet.
Two of them then moved towards the point from where a rivulet enters Baisaran and sat there to observe the activities inside.
Photo Credit: AFP
After some time, they returned to the place where they had kept their belongings with the third terrorist.
All three left their bags there and again proceeded to the same spot. When they began their final approach, one of them was wearing an action camera – a GoPro — on his head, and they entered the park from below the fence.
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Two terrorists moved straight towards the main entry gate of the park along the toilets, while the third one moved towards the end of the zipline.
Photo Credit: AFP
At 2:23 pm, one of them fired the first shot from his M-4 carbine. Seconds later, the other two terrorists opened fire from their positions near the dhabas and slope area using their AK-47 rifles.
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“The coordinated firing from the zipline in the south and from the main gate in the north created an enclosed kill zone in the central meadow,” the chargesheet read.
The accused deliberately shaped the central meadow into a kill zone to maximise civilian casualties, the NIA said.
Terrorists Fired Rounds In Celebration
While escaping, the terrorists encountered three civilians hiding behind trees outside the fence and approached them. They then shot them at close range.
Along the escape route, they also stopped a man and asked him to recite ‘kalma’. They let him go once he recited the same.
Photo Credit: AFP
After exiting the park, the terrorists fired rounds in celebration, “thereby evidencing lack of remorse and continued adherence to their terror objective”, according to the chargesheet.
