New Delhi: In a significant development regarding the Pahalgam terror attack, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has officially appointed advocate Shri Singh as the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP). This appointment is crucial for conducting the trial in the case that stemmed from the attack on April 22, as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is nearing the completion of its investigation and is set to file a charge sheet.
According to an MHA notification, the Central government has appointed Shri Singh to represent the NIA in all trial proceedings and related matters before the NIA special court in Jammu and the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. This appointment is valid for a period of three years or until the conclusion of the trial, whichever comes first.
An official, who preferred to remain anonymous, stated that the SPP will be responsible for leading the trial in collaboration with the investigating officer.
Earlier reports indicated that the NIA was on the verge of filing a charge sheet in the Pahalgam terror attack case, which is expected to name the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group. The NIA had recently received a 45-day extension from a Jammu court to finalize its probe into the incident, an extension that concludes this week.
The upcoming charge sheet is also expected to identify two local residents of Pahalgam, Bashir Ahmad Jothar and Parvez Ahmad Jothar, who were apprehended in June. They are accused of providing shelter and assistance to the three Pakistani terrorists involved in the attack: Suleiman Shah, Hamza Afghani alias Afghan, and Jibran. The Jothar brothers were arrested on June 22, nearly two months after the attack, and are alleged to have harbored the terrorists in a seasonal hut before the April 21 incident.
The terrorists, responsible for the deaths of 25 tourists and one pony operator at the Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on April 22, were eliminated by security forces on July 28 in the Dachigam forest area. Union Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed in Parliament that these militants were indeed from Pakistan and affiliated with the LeT.
The NIA’s investigation has been extensive, involving the questioning of over 1,000 individuals, including tourists, pony owners, photographers, and local business workers. In response to the attack, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7, conducting targeted strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of at least 100 terrorists. This operation led to a series of retaliatory actions and counter-actions along the western border.