NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday said that terrorists deliberately targeted the scenic Baisaran meadow in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam because of its large tourist presence and relative isolation. The agency said the target was also chosen considering the “response time” from the security agencies, news agency PTI reported, quoting a NIA spokesperson.The April 22 attack left 26 people dead, including men, women and children, who were gunned down while enjoying picnics, pony rides, or meals at local eateries in the meadow often described as ‘Mini Switzerland’.According to the NIA, three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives from Pakistan directly carried out the assault. The choice of location, officials said, was a calculated move to inflict maximum civilian casualties while exploiting the terrain’s distance from quick reinforcements.In June, the NIA arrested two local residents, Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar of Batkote and Bashir Ahmad Jothar of Pahalgam, for providing food, shelter and logistical aid to the terrorists. Their disclosures helped investigators confirm the attackers’ identities as Pakistani nationals linked to LeT. The three militants were eventually tracked down and killed on July 28 in Operation Mahadev, an encounter in the Dachigam-Harwan forest belt on the outskirts of Srinagar, where they had been hiding since the Pahalgam assault.In retaliation to the Pahalgam attack, the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, carrying out precision strikes on terror hideouts across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The coordinated strikes hit at least nine sites, including training centres and headquarters of LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed, both accused of directing attacks against India.
