NIA questions 2 overground workers in Pahalgam attack case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) questioned two overground workers (OGWs) from Poonch district, who are lodged in Kot Bhalwal jail in Jammu in a 2023 terror attack case, for the recent Pahalgam attack.

NIA suspects the recent attack might the handiwork of terrorists, who were already active in Jammu and Kashmir.

The two OGWs include Nisar Ahmed and Mushtaq Hussain, were arrested by the security forces in April 2023 after an Army truck was ambushed by terrorists in Poonch on April 20 in which five soldiers were killed. It is believed that the terrorists were part of the group that had earlier carried out an attack at Dhangri village in Rajouri on January 1, 2023, in which seven civilians were killed.

The NIA had officially stated earlier that investigations had revealed that both the OGWs had harboured the terrorists who carried out the Dhangri attack. They had provided logistics support to the terrorists for more than two months and had sheltered them in a hideout that they had built. The duo, as per the investigations, had been operating on the directions of Pakistan-based LeT handlers, namely Saifullah and Abu Qatal.

It has been learnt that the two had also provided their mobile phones to the terrorists to download communication application which was used to contact Pakistani handlers without being detected by the intelligence agencies.

During the questioning, the NIA wanted to know the details of the terrorists who were helped by them.