Pahalgam massacre: With attackers at large, security concerns rise; demand to fix accountability gains traction

Pahalgam: Three months after the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam that left many tourists dead, the perpetrators are still at large, raising concerns over security lapses in the region and sparking growing calls for fixing accountability.

While the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has made two arrests in connection with the April 22 incident, those nabbed are believed to be the ones who provided logistical support, while the actual terrorists responsible for the ghastly crime have evaded security agencies.

The security vacuum has prompted Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, who will complete his five-year term next month, to take full responsibility for what he acknowledged as a "security failure".

This admission was appreciated by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who nonetheless called for accountability. "I appreciate the statement of the Lt Governor but an admission of failure must be followed by action," he had told PTI here recently.

"Heads must roll when such a grave mistake leads to the loss of precious lives. The people of Kashmir deserve to know what went wrong and who will be held accountable," the chief minister had said.

On April 22, a meticulously planned terror strike hit holiday-makers in Pahalgam meadows, killing 26 people -- 25 tourists and one local pony rider -- a huge setback for the counter-insurgency campaign of the government.

The strike was characteristic of careful planning and the terrorists' successful escape indicated a high level of training and local support.

The officials said that intelligence agencies had been alerted about the possibility of a terror attack, but the inputs were utilised at another place, some 90 kilometres away from the site where the attack took place, resulting in a key security lapse.

The NIA has been mandated to conduct the investigation and, so far, it has arrested two suspects who were suspected to have given shelter and food to the attackers.

The two men - Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar from Batkote, Pahalgam and Bashir Ahmad Jothar of Hill Park, Pahalgam – were arrested by NIA on June 22.

The NIA had said the arrested accused, who are presently on remand, have disclosed the identities of the three armed terrorists involved in the attack, and have also confirmed that they were Pakistani nationals affiliated to the proscribed The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Parvaiz and Bashir had knowingly harboured the three armed terrorists at a seasonal dhok (hut) at Hill Park before the attack, according to NIA investigations.

The two men had provided food, shelter and logistical support to the terrorists, who had, on the fateful afternoon, selectively killed the tourists on the basis of their religious identity, making it one of the most gruesome terrorist attacks ever, the agency said.

CM Abdullah's demand for accountability of top officials is symptomatic of the public pressure building up to fix responsibility for security failure.

The incident has highlighted doubts over the efficiency of the security system in Kashmir and will probably be at the centre of public debate in the months ahead.

Security officials said the terrorists, members of a TRF unit known as the "Falcon Squad," breached the Pahalgam area wearing military camouflage and equipped with military-grade firearms and modern communication equipment, including a camera-fitted helmet.

The attack was reportedly planned by Saifullah Kasuri alias Khalid, a top LeT commander and personal assistant of internationally designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed, they added.

They indicated that the online trail of the attackers originated from safe houses along the border in Karachi and Muzaffarabad, which implied extensive logistical integration with the LeT network in Pakistan.

They said that targeting tourists in Pahalgam represents a possible change in the operational policy of Kashmiri terror groups, indicating that the group is ready to target not only government staff and settlers but also civilian visitors under an overall strategy to destabilise the region, discourage tourists, and polarise communities.

Employment of highly skilled terrorists under the "Falcon Squad" suggests an increasing dependence upon decentralised, difficult-to-follow-up operatives, sparking fear about the dangers to regional security and civilian existence in Jammu and Kashmir in the future, they added.