Militants killed in 'Operation Mahadev' were involved in Pahalgam attack, says Amit Shah in Parliament

NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced in Parliament that the three militants killed by the joint forces in 'Operation Mahadev' were involved in the Pahalgam attack. He made this statement during a discussion in the Lok Sabha on Operation Sindoor. The militants — Faisal Jatt (alias Suleman), Jibran, and Hamza Afghani — were members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group, notorious for its brutality in Pahalgam. They were killed on Monday in a joint operation by the Army, CRPF, and Jammu & Kashmir Police. All three were classified as “A” category terrorists and were Pakistani nationals.

Intelligence agencies received information about militant presence in Dachigam on May 22, prompting the launch of Operation Mahadev. Former Union Home Minister and Congress leader P. Chidambaram had earlier questioned why the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack had not been captured and why Pakistan had not been held accountable. Amit Shah countered by accusing Chidambaram of giving a clean chit to Pakistan. He added that there were no local militants in Kashmir anymore — only those sent across from Pakistan.

Rifles flown to Chandigarh in special flight

A U.S.-made M-9 rifle and two AK rifles recovered from the slain militants were flown to the Central Forensic Lab in Chandigarh to verify if they were used in the Pahalgam attack. Test firing was conducted, and bullet residues were compared with those found at the Pahalgam site. At 4:46 a.m., six forensic experts confirmed via video call that it was indeed the same weapons. Amit Shah informed the Lok Sabha that he had the ballistic report in hand. He also stated that locals who provided food and shelter to the terrorists identified them. Two militants were found with Pakistani voter ID numbers, and chocolates recovered from them were also manufactured in Pakistan — further evidence he presented.

No world leader intervened, says Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that Operation Sindoor was halted due to American intervention. Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the discussion, Modi asserted that no world leader had intervened to stop India’s military actions. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi had challenged Modi earlier, asking whether he dared to reject Trump’s statement.