Digital footprints suggest Pakistan’s hand, say investigators

In one of the deadliest attacks witnessed in the Kashmir Valley in recent years, 26 Indian tourists — mostly Hindu men — were brutally gunned down in Pahalgam, shaking the nation to its core. As investigators dug deeper, chilling evidence began to emerge. Intelligence agencies have now traced the digital footprints of the five heavily armed terrorists back to safehouses in Muzaffarabad and Karachi, exposing a direct operational link to Pakistan. These hubs, long associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba’s cross-border terror infrastructure, point toward a remote-controlled attack strategy reminiscent of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, allegedly coordinated by Pakistan’s ISI and army. The attackers, armed with AK-series rifles, encrypted radios, and offline GPS tools like the Alpine Quest app, were well-trained and moved with military precision. Survivor statements reveal that some terrorists were even dressed in army-style fatigues. Sources confirmed that alerts had been raised as early as December 2024 about Pakistan facilitating infiltration of highly skilled LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad operatives across the LoC and International Border. NIA’s counter-terror sweeps in February and March in regions like Kathua, Rajouri, and Doda indicated that these foreign terrorists, once inside Indian territory, were sheltered and supported by local overground workers. A senior officer noted that an estimated 55 to 60 such trained terrorists are currently operating in the Valley’s mid-ridge terrain, evading surveillance and tracking Indian troop movement through ISI-fed GPS intel and radio networks hosted on Pakistani servers. Following the Pahalgam massacre, the Centre has issued immediate orders to the Army and BSF to intensify anti-infiltration operations across all vulnerable zones. The attack isn’t just an act of terror — it is a calculated strike woven into a broader conspiracy backed by state elements, demanding a relentless and united national response.