Homes of 2 wanted for Pahalgam terror attack blown up overnight
While Asif Ahmad Sheikh's house was demolished at Mongaham in south Kashmir's Tral, Adil Ahmad Thoker's house at Gurre village in south Kashmir's Bijbehara was also blown up on the night of April 24-25.
Kashmiri villager women walk past the blown-up family home of Asif Shiekh. (Photo: AP)
The homes of the two men, suspected to be among the Pahalgam attackers, were “demolished using explosives” during the night in south Kashmir.
While Asif Ahmad Sheikh’s house was demolished at Mongaham in south Kashmir’s Tral, Adil Ahmad Thoker’s house at Gurre village in south Kashmir’s Bijbehara was also blown up on the night of April 24-25.
Villagers said the houses were “demolished using explosives”. Police are yet to comment on the development.
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On Thursday, J&K Police had released the names of three suspects who targeted tourists at Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam in south Kashmir, killing 25 tourists and a local pony-wallah.
Apart from two Pakistan nationals, Thoker’s sketch figured among the three. A resident of south Kashmir, Thoker had gone to Pakistan on a visa in 2018 and returned to Kashmir Valley last year, police sources say.
Police had said they suspect the involvement of a fourth attacker.
Asif’s relatives confirmed that security personnel had “blasted” their house. One of the relatives claimed the house belonged to three families, and Asif’s “had only two rooms in it”.
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Another family member said security personnel asked them to vacate the residence and head to another house nearby before carrying out the demolition.
Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. ... Read More