Pahalgam attackers appear to have freshly infiltrated from Bandipora-Kupwara axis: Police
The senior official said “the possibility of some locals helping these terrorists to carry out the attack cannot be ruled out.”
A senior police officer in Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday said that the terrorists, who carried out dastardly attack on tourists in Pahalgam on Tuesday, appeared to have freshly infiltrated from Bandipora-Kupwara axis in north Kashmir.
“The inputs with me suggest that the terrorists had recently infiltrated from Bandipora-Kupwara axis in north Kashmir and local terrorists were also involved in the attack. At least two foreign terrorists and an equal number of local terrorists carried out the attack,” said the senior officer, who declined to be named.
He said, “the possibility of some locals helping these terrorists to carry out the attack cannot be ruled out.”
He, however, ruled out that Pahalgam attackers belonged to the larger group of terrorists, which had infiltrated from across the international border in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district on March 23.
“The sketches of the Pahalgam attackers doesn’t match with those with us and the inputs suggest that they freshly infiltrated from Bandipora-Kupwara axis,” he said.
By road, the distance between Pahalgam and Bandipora is 146 kms while it is 175 kms from Kupwara.
The terrorists in Jammu were first sighted in a forest in Saniyal village of Hiranagar sector on March 23.
Former DGP Dr SP Vaid, the brain behind village defence guards, said, “Pahalgam attack was a well planned attack carried out on the instructions of Pakistan deep state.’”
“Today, more than 90% terrorists, who are operating in J&K, are Pakistanis. They have no sympathy with Kashmiri and so does Pakistan”, he added.
Dr Vaid said that following revocation of Article 370, tourists in lakhs flocked Valley and that’s what didn’t go down well with Pakistan.
“Summer is at its peak in other parts of India. So, people headed to Valley to beat the heat but Pakistan planned this attack to disturb peace and create fear among the people. Annual Amarnath Yatra has to start from July 3,” he said.
Dr Vaid also referred to Pak Army chief General Asim Munir’s statement.
“Just a couple of days ago, Pak army chief Asim Munir described Kashmir as their jugular vein and went on to claim that Pakistan was raised on ‘kalma’. So, this is the same ideology, which is being followed by terrorists. In Pahalgam, terrorists asked names of the tourists and then hit non-Muslims,” he said.
The former DGP, who also escaped murderous attacks by terrorists during his stint, said, “To whom should India talk? They (terrorists) have to be killed by security forces and police and that’s the only solution.”
The Resistance Front, an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the Tuesday’s attack at Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam.
