Srinagar, April 21 (IANS) National Conference (NC) President and former J&K Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, on Tuesday, termed the horrendous April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack a major setback for J&K.
Speaking to reporters in Bijbehara town of Anantnag after paying tribute to 26 innocent civilians — 25 tourists and a local pony owner — killed in Pahalgam by Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists, Dr Abdullah noted that he wanted to commemorate those who lost their lives, especially those who stood against the terrorists.
The Pahalgam terror attack brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the armed forces a free hand to avenge the killings.
In ‘Operation Sindoor’, Indian armed forces targeted terror infrastructure in Muridke near Lahore, Bahawalpur, as well as Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
These strikes were carried out by the Indian armed forces without crossing the border. Pakistan subsequently escalated tensions by attacking civilian and military facilities in India.
In the Poonch district of J&K, 14 civilians, including a senior civil servant, were killed in indiscriminate Pakistani border shelling.
Symbolically, a mosque, a temple, a Gurdwara and a Church were also destroyed in Pakistani heavy shelling in Poonch.
India retaliated by hitting Pakistani defence facilities, including army airfields. Eighteen defence facilities in Pakistan were damaged in Indian strikes.
LeT terrorists involved in the Pahalgam terror attack were killed by the army and J&K Police in ‘Operation Mahadev’ in July 2025 on the foothills of the Mahadev mountain peak near the Dachigam National Park on the outskirts of Srinagar city.
Carried out after the brutal terror attack in Baisaran, Pahalgam, that left the nation in shock, Operation Mahadev stands as a defining example of India’s sustained counter-terror resolve, culminating in justice for the victims after a relentless 93-day pursuit.
Eyewitness testimonies, corroborated by intelligence inputs, identified three Pakistani terrorists—Sulaiman Shah, Hamza Afgani, and Jibran Bhai, linked to LeT as the perpetrators of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Operation Mahadev was one of the most extensive counter-terror operations in recent years. Security forces moved swiftly to seal escape routes and prevent the terrorists from fleeing the Kashmir Valley.
Intelligence agencies employed a combination of human intelligence (HUMINT), technical intelligence (TECHINT), and survivor accounts to track the attackers’ movements.
As the operation progressed, the terrorists were traced moving across the upper reaches of south Kashmir, including Hapatnar, Bugmar and Tral, eventually taking refuge in the dense forests along the Mahadev Ridge near Dachigam.
The challenging terrain, marked by high altitude and thick vegetation, slowed movement, but also helped narrow down the search area.
On July 28, 2025, after nearly three months of pursuit covering over 250 kilometres, a PARA (Special Forces) team executed a precise operation deep inside the forested terrain. Advancing stealthily for hours, the team engaged and neutralised all three terrorists, effectively bringing those responsible for the Pahalgam massacre to justice.
–IANS
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