Indian Armed Forces Deny ‘Fake’ Report on Pahalgam Attackers

• The Indian Armed Forces have denied a report on the identities of Pahalgam attackers circulating on social media.
• The report is described as a fake compilation of information from open sources, not an official document.
• This clarification comes in the context of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 4th Aug: The Indian Armed Forces today issued a strong clarification denying the authenticity of a report circulating on social media and in some media outlets regarding the identities and background of the Pahalgam attackers. The Press Information Bureau (PIB), in a statement, said that no authorized media handle or spokesperson of the Armed Forces had prepared or issued such a document.

The report, which has been widely shared, “appears to be a compilation of information on post-encounter findings, collated from open sources,” the PIB statement noted.

The clarification comes in the backdrop of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, where 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed. The attack prompted a large-scale security operation, which culminated in a major breakthrough in late July with the killing of three terrorists, including the alleged mastermind, Sulieman Shah, in an encounter near Srinagar.

Following the encounter, security agencies have gathered extensive evidence to confirm the terrorists were Pakistani nationals and senior operatives of the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba. The evidence includes Pakistani government-issued voter slips, which were recovered from the slain terrorists, along with other items, like chocolates, that were traced back to Pakistan. Forensic evidence also confirmed that the rifles recovered from the terrorists matched the shell casings found at the attack site.