Pahalgam Attack Case: Arrested men were forced to help militants, says CM

SRINAGAR — Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday came out in strong defence of local residents following the arrest of two Kashmiri men by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the deadly April 22 Pahalgam militant attack that claimed 26 lives, most of them tourists.

Dismissing allegations of voluntary involvement by locals, Abdullah stated, “There was no local involvement in the Pahalgam attack. Those arrested were forced to help the militants under duress.”

The NIA had earlier arrested two residents of Pahalgam — Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar — for allegedly sheltering three heavily armed militants in a seasonal hut in Hill Park ahead of the attack. The agency claimed the duo provided logistical support, food, and shelter to the attackers and even revealed their identities during questioning.

The militants, believed to be Pakistani nationals affiliated with the proscribed group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), carried out the brutal attack that shook the region and left over two dozen people dead.

However, CM Abdullah appealed for nuance and fairness in such cases, urging the Central probe agency not to draw sweeping conclusions. “These men are from our villages. If they helped the attackers, it was not of their own will. Coercion in such situations cannot be ruled out,” he said.

He warned against narratives that portray entire communities as complicit. “We must not allow the actions of a few foreign militants to paint our people as collaborators,” he added.

The arrested individuals have been remanded to five days of NIA custody by a local court in Jammu for further interrogation.