India Confirms All Pahalgam Attackers Pakistani Nationals Linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba

Indian authorities have confirmed that all three militants involved in the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 civilians mostly tourists, were Pakistani nationals affiliated with the banned terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested two local Kashmiri men, Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar, for providing food, shelter, and logistical support to the attackers who were hiding in a seasonal hut prior to the assault. This updated finding contradicts earlier reports suggesting one attacker was local. The attack severely escalated tensions between India and Pakistan, leading India to suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty and prompting Pakistan to withdraw from the 1972 Simla Agreement. Subsequent Indian airstrikes on alleged terror infrastructure in Pakistan and retaliatory missile strikes pushed the two nuclear-armed neighbors to the brink of war until a ceasefire was brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump. Despite the arrests, the main attackers remain at large, and investigations continue into possible links with earlier militant attacks in the region.