Following the shocking Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of some innocent tourists, the Jammu and Kashmir police have made serious progress in their probe. Sketches of three suspected assailants—two Pakistani nationals and one Kashmiri local—have been issued, giving a better idea of the perpetrators of the bloodshed.

The attackers have been identified as Hashim Musa and Ali Bhai alias Talha from Pakistan, and Adil Hussain Thoker, a local from South Kashmir. Police officials believe this trio planned and executed the assault with military-level precision.

“Thoker, police believe, has been acting as a local guide of the 'well-trained and battle-hardened' Pakistani terrorists,” an officer revealed.

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According to high-level sources, Hashim Musa is thought to have infiltrated into Kashmir in September 2023. Since then, he has been operating primarily in the Budgam district, which lies close to Srinagar. Ali Bhai, meanwhile, is believed to have entered the Valley after Musa and was spotted in the Dachigam forests—an area located near Srinagar that provides a dense cover and connects to Tral and then to Pahalgam.

Police say these locations were not randomly chosen. “They had a clear idea about the reaction time of the forces,” said a senior officer. “Baisaran is only accessible by foot, and it would take an hour for the security agencies to react, mobilize, and reach the meadow. It seems the attackers factored that in; that’s why they remained there for some time. The off-road nature of the place gave them enough time to escape into the dense forests.”

Adil Hussain Thoker, who hails from Gurre village in Bijbehara, is no stranger to cross-border movement. “Thoker, police records indicate, went to Pakistan in 2018 and returned to the Valley last year,” a source said. Authorities believe he leveraged his familiarity with the region to guide the infiltrators through Kashmir’s rugged terrain.

The sketches of the suspects were created with the help of eyewitnesses. “In some cases, they were shown pictures of active militants and asked to identify if any of the attackers resembled them,” said a police officer in south Kashmir.

The authorities are now investigating the possible presence of a fourth terrorist in the group. “We are trying to gather information about him; if he is a local or a foreign terrorist,” added another senior officer, suggesting that the operation might have been larger than initially believed.

According to intelligence officials, the terrorists are believed to have escaped to the upper reaches of the Pir Panjal range. “They are believed to have fled to the higher reaches of the Pir Panjal range, where search operations by the Army, central paramilitary forces, and J&K police are underway,” a source said.

Central agencies have also begun questioning people who were present during the attack. The statements of 42 locals have been recorded. Some of them revealed a disturbing detail—“Some of them are learned to have told investigators that they were spared based on their accent or after the attackers ascertained their faith.”

Among those who survived was a local photographer, whose quick thinking possibly saved his life. “He climbed a tree and hid there for two hours till the attackers left.”

With the sketches now available in the public domain and search and combing operations increasing in the dangerous hills, security agencies are going all out in the efforts to apprehend the attackers. The area is still on high alert as Kashmir struggles to come to terms with one of the worst terror attacks in recent times.

J&K Police release sketches of two Pakistani militants and a local guide believed to be behind the Pahalgam terror attack. Investigation reveals detailed planning, eyewitness accounts, and a massive manhunt in the Pir Panjal range.