Amit Shah reaches Kashmir Valley, NIA likely to take over probe into Pahalgam attack

Union home minister Amit Shah rushed to Srinagar on Tuesday after terrorists, believed by intelligence agencies to be members of the Lashkhar-e-Taiba (LeT), shot dead several tourists in South Kashmir’s Pahalgam in one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in the Valley in recent years.

Before departing, Shah briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, and chaired an emergency meeting with top security officials, people aware of the matter said.

“Those involved in this dastardly act of terror will not be spared, and we will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences,” Shah wrote on X, expressing anguish over the attack.

The Prime Minister echoed the sentiment: “Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger,” Modi posted, assuring that “all possible assistance is being provided to those affected.”

According to people in intelligence agencies, the attack was executed by four LeT terrorists—three highly trained operatives who recently infiltrated from Pakistan and one local collaborator identified as Adil Thokkar from Bijbehara. The terrorists “incessantly fired upon unsuspecting civilians” using rifles, according to a senior counter-terrorism official who requested anonymity.

LeT offshoot TRF claims responsibility for attack

The Resistance Front (TRF), widely acknowledged as LeT’s proxy outfit, claimed responsibility for the attack on Telegram. One message with the hashtag #PahalgamAttack alleged over “85,000 domiciles have been issued to non-locals, creating a pathway for demographic change” in the region. . “These non-locals arrive posing as tourists, obtain domiciles, and then begin to act as if they own the land. Consequently, violence will be directed toward those attempting to settle illegally,” the message sent to security agencies stated.

However, intelligence officials dismissed this narrative, stating, “TRF’s name is used by LeT to divert the attention of the international community.” They added that the LeT operations are directly funded and monitored by Pakistan’s inter-services intelligence agency (ISI).

According to intelligence officials, around 70-80 terrorists may have infiltrated through the Line of Control and International Border into India since early 2024.

The attack coincided with US Vice President JD Vance’s official visit to India, drawing parallels to the March 2000 massacre of 35 Sikhs in Chittisinghpura during then-US President Bill Clinton’s trip to India.

A third official aware of the matter said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will likely take over the investigation and has already dispatched a team to the site for preliminary assessment. The federal agency has previously investigated numerous attacks on civilians by TRF and other proxy organisations in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Pahalgam attack comes despite intelligence agencies’ general threat assessment regarding civilian targets, though no specific input existed about Pahalgam itself.

Shah has conducted regular security reviews since January and visited the Union Territory earlier to assess counter-insurgency operations. He has consistently pushed security forces toward achieving “zero-infiltration” across borders and dismantling overground worker networks that support terrorists.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on March 21, Shah had highlighted significant security improvements in Jammu and Kashmir. He reported that terrorist incidents had decreased from 7,217 between 2004-2014 to 2,242 in the past decade. Total casualties dropped by 70%, with civilian deaths down by 81% and security personnel fatalities reduced by 50%.

Shah had also noted the complete cessation of organised stone-pelting incidents, which previously averaged 2,654 annually from 2010-2014. Terrorist incidents decreased from 1,587 in 2004 to just 85 in 2024, while civilian deaths fell from 733 to 26, and security forces casualties declined from 331 to 31 during the same period.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation of democracy in Kashmir,” Shah had stated, adding that the government now “deals with terrorists by shooting them between the eyes as soon as they are spotted.”