Srinagar: Amid the ongoing debate surrounding Operation Sindoor, Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed the Lok Sabha on Monday that all three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack were neutralized in a coordinated operation—Operation Mahadev—conducted jointly by the Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Jammu & Kashmir Police on July 28 in the forests near Srinagar.
This operation marked a significant breakthrough in India’s multi-layered response strategy, showcasing the country’s swift counter-terror action inside Kashmir Valley and its calibrated cross-border retaliation.
The neutralized terrorists—Suleman, alias Faizal, Afghan, and Jibran—were all identified as A-category militants belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Shah told Parliament. “In a joint Operation Mahadev, the Indian Army, CRPF, and J&K Police neutralised three terrorists who were involved in the Pahalgam terror attack,” he said.
The bodies were brought to Srinagar and identified by individuals who had earlier been detained for aiding the terrorists. These detainees, according to Shah, had supplied food and shelter to the attackers. “All three terrorists—Suleman, Afghan, and Jibran—were killed in yesterday’s operation. The people who used to supply food to them were detained earlier. Once the bodies were brought to Srinagar, they were identified by those detained by agencies,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention that Suleman was a top commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Afghan and Jibran too were listed as A-grade terrorists by intelligence agencies. Pakistani voter ID cards were recovered from the bodies, alongside other items including Pakistan-manufactured chocolates.
On forensic examination, the rifles recovered from the encounter site matched the ones used in the Pahalgam killings. “Three rifles were seized from the terrorists. The ballistic report is in my hand, and it has been confirmed by six experts that these were the same rifles used to attack our citizens,” Shah said. The weapons included two AK-47s and one M-9 carbine.
Forensic testing of cartridges had been conducted before the operation. After seizure of the rifles, additional tests were conducted at Chandigarh to confirm the ballistic match.
Shah also referred to the investigation efforts led by the National Investigation Agency. “The NIA had already arrested those who gave them shelter. Those who fed them were detained,” he said.
Sharing a personal moment from the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, Shah said, “I met the affected families. I saw standing before me a woman who had been widowed just six days after her wedding. I can never forget that scene.”
Linking the domestic response to India’s cross-border action, Shah said, “Modi ji neutralized those who sent the terrorists, and our security forces killed those who committed the killings.”
Referring to Operation Sindoor, the Home Minister said the Cabinet Committee on Security had met on April 30, and the operation was launched on May 7 between 1:04 am and 1:24 am. “Nine terror sites in Pakistan were destroyed. No Pakistani civilians were killed,” he declared.
