Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday announced in the Lok Sabha that all three terrorists responsible for the April Pahalgam massacre have been eliminated in a high-level counter-terror operation conducted jointly by the Indian Army, CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police near Srinagar. Detailing Operation Mahadev, Shah identified the slain militants as Suleman alias Faizal, Afghani, and Jibran—all high-ranking members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.
"While Suleman was an A-category commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Afghani was also an A-category LeT terrorist. Jibran too was a notorious and wanted terrorist. All these three involved in the killing of our citizens at Baisaran valley in Pahalgam have now been eliminated," Shah said, as per a report on PTI.
Proof Of Pahalgam Terrorists
The Home Minister further revealed that the terrorists’ identities were verified by individuals who had been detained for offering them shelter and logistical support prior to the attack. Weapons recovered from the scene—an M-9 pistol and two AK-47 rifles—were flown to Chandigarh for forensic analysis.
According to Shah, ballistic experts at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory confirmed a match between empty cartridges found at the Pahalgam massacre site and the recovered weapons. “Six forensic experts confirmed to me over a video call this morning that the bullets fired during the attack came from these exact weapons,” he said.
Shah also disclosed the recovery of Pakistani voter ID cards belonging to two of the terrorists, along with chocolates manufactured in Pakistan.
Amit Shah Takes A Dig At Chidambaram
Taking a sharp dig at Congress leader and former Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Shah said, “Yesterday, former Home Minister Chidambaram raised a question about the proof of the terrorists coming from Pakistan... Whom does he want to save? What will he gain by defending Pakistan?... We have the proof that these three were Pakistanis. We have voter ID numbers of the two of them... The chocolates recovered from them are made in Pakistan.."
He said, "If they were not Pakistanis, then Chidambaram is also raising the question as to why Pakistan was attacked... 130 crore people are watching their conspiracy to save Pakistan..."
Shah contrasted the government's decisive action with the Opposition's stance, stating, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through Operation Sindoor, ensured that the masterminds were taken out. Now, with Operation Mahadev, the attackers themselves have been eliminated.”