- By Nidhi Giri
- Mon, 04 Aug 2025 12:05 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Indian security agencies confirmed that the terrorists involved in the deadly Pahalgam attack were Pakistani nationals. The agencies have confirmed the identity after gathering evidence such as documents issued by the government of Pakistan and biometric data. During an operation code-named 'Mahadev' on July 28, security forces killed the three men who had carried out the April 22 Pahalgam massacre, in which 26 civilians, mostly Hindu tourists, were gunned down in Baisaran meadow.
The evidence collected shows that no local was among these terrorists. Biometric records of Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), voter identity slips and digital satellite phone data, including logs and GPS waypoints, are among the clinching evidence gathered by the security agencies confirming the Pakistani nationality of the three terrorists, the officials said, as per news agency PTI.
They said the post-encounter investigation, including ballistics weapon-to-cartridge match and statements of two detained Kashmiri helpers, corroborated the terrorists' involvement in the Pahalgam attack.
"For the first time, we have government-issued Pakistani documents in hand that nail the nationality of the Pahalgam attackers beyond doubt," a senior official said, as per PTI.
No Kashmiri Was Part Of Shooting
As per officials, all three attackers were Pakistani nationals and senior LeT operatives who had been hiding in the Dachigam-Harwan forest belt since the day of the attack. They added that no Kashmiri was part of the shooting team.
The slain terrorists were identified as Suleman Shah alias "Faizal Jatt", an A++ category terrorist, mastermind and lead shooter; his close associate Abu Hamza alias 'Afghan', an A-grade commander and the second gunman; and Yasir alias 'Jibran', also an A-grade commander and the third gunman, the officials said.
Security forces recovered Pakistani government-issued documents, such as two laminated voter slips issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan, from the pockets of Shah and Hamza, they said, as per the news agency. The voter serial numbers correspond to electoral rolls in Lahore (NA-125) and Gujranwala (NA-79), respectively.
The officials said the NADRA-linked Smart-ID chips - a micro-SD recovered from a damaged sat-phone contained the NADRA biometric records (fingerprints, facial template, family tree) of all three men - confirming their Pakistani citizenship and addresses in Changa Manga (Kasur district) and Koiyan village near Rawalakot, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Pakistan-manufactured personal items like wrappers of 'CandyLand' and 'ChocoMax' chocolates (both brands produced in Karachi) were found in the same rucksack that carried spare magazines, the officials said, as per PTI adding that lot numbers printed on wrappers were traced to a May 2024 consignment shipped to Muzaffarabad, PoK.
(With PTI Inputs)