Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that three terrorists responsible for the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baisaran Valley, were eliminated in a joint operation named Operation Mahadev. The operation, conducted on July 28 by the Indian Army, CRPF, and Jammu and Kashmir Police in the Harwan area near Dachigam National Park, Srinagar, neutralized Suleman alias Faizal, Afghan, and Jibran, all A-category Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives.

Shah detailed that the terrorists’ identities were confirmed through multiple sources, including detained accomplices who provided food and shelter. “Once the bodies were brought to Srinagar, those detained identified them as the Pahalgam attackers,” he said.

Forensic evidence further solidified the link, with empty cartridges from the attack matching those from the recovered M-4 carbine, two AK-47 rifles, and 17 rifle grenades, verified by six experts at Chandigarh’s Central Forensic Science Laboratory via video call. Pakistani voter IDs and Pakistan-made chocolates found on two terrorists underscored their foreign ties.

The operation, launched after a 14-day pursuit triggered by a Chinese satellite phone signal detected on July 11, involved the 24 Rashtriya Rifles, 4 Para, and local forces combing Dachigam’s rugged terrain. Intelligence from local nomads and intercepted communications led to the terrorists’ hideout in Lidwas, where they were caught resting in a tent. The 4 Para unit executed a swift strike, eliminating the trio, including Suleman, a former Pakistani soldier and LeT commander named the attack’s mastermind.

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Shah condemned the “barbaric” Pahalgam attack, where civilians were killed in front of families after being questioned about their religion, and expressed condolences for victims, including those affected by Pakistani shelling that damaged gurdwaras and temples.

He criticized the opposition for not welcoming the operation’s success, saying, “Their faces are smeared with ink,” and rebuked Congress leader P Chidambaram for questioning the attackers’ Pakistani origins. The operation follows India’s broader response, Operation Sindoor, which targeted nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, killing over 100 terrorists.

The breakthrough, hailed by PM Narendra Modi and J&K leaders, reinforces India’s zero-tolerance stance on terrorism, though search operations continue for remaining associates in the forested region.

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