Srinagar, May 1 – Pakistani terrorist Hashim Musa has been identified as the mastermind behind the recent Pahalgam terror attack, according to highly placed intelligence sources.
The probe has also uncovered the involvement of several Kashmiri militants trained in Pakistan, suggesting deeper cross-border coordination.
While the investigation into the total number of attackers is ongoing, agencies have confirmed that local terrorists trained across the Line of Control played a role in the assault that left several tourists dead.
“There is clear evidence that multiple Pakistan-trained Kashmiri terrorists were involved,” a top intelligence source told this correspondent.
Among the three suspects named by Jammu and Kashmir Police based on eyewitness accounts are Hashim Musa, Ali Bhai alias Talha Bhai—both Pakistani nationals—and Adil Hussain Thokar, a resident of Anantnag. Officials said Thokar’s role in the attack has been substantiated by evidence collected so far.
Musa, reportedly a former member of the Pakistan Army’s elite Para Forces, is believed to have undergone advanced commando training. His coordination role is “more or less confirmed,” sources said, though further evidence is being gathered to link both Musa and Ali Bhai conclusively to the attack.
Digital forensics have traced communications from the attackers to Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), prompting the relocation of several terrorist camps in the region amid fears of Indian retaliation.
Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has begun recording statements from eyewitnesses to reconstruct the timeline of the attack and firm up evidence against the accused.
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