MEA briefs parliament on Pakistan's connection in Pahalgam terror attack. Here’s what initial probe reveals

The initial investigation into the horrific Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people revealed that the terrorists had communication nodes with their handlers in Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) told a parliamentary committee on Monday (May 19).

The MEA told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, how Pakistan-based “masterminds” coordinated the April 22 attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

The attackers carried “distinct footprints” similar to previous attacks claimed by the Resistance Front (TRF), a group which the MEA described as another name for the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

The officials also discussed the use of sophisticated cross-border communication nodes between terrorists and their handlers in Pakistan.

The ministry asserted that Pakistan plays a “well-established” role as a sanctuary for terror groups, which is backed by credible evidence.

The MEA also dismissed Pakistan’s attempt to “draw a false equivalence” for alleging Indian involvement in extra-judicial killings on Pakistani soil as baseless and lacking any factual support. It further flagged Pakistan’s continued denial of terror links.

“Pakistan blames India for the killings of some individuals, labelled as extra-judicial and extra-territorial by the neighbouring country, on its soil, even though its allegations are devoid of any facts or evidence,” the MEA said.

“It is meant to draw a false equivalence between the two countries to suggest that both neighbours are victims of cross-border terrorism, which is not the case, it said in the presentation,” it added.

The ministry also highlighted that UN-designated terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi continue to roam freely in Pakistan while inciting violence against India.

Operation Sindoor

On May 7, the Indian Armed Forces carried out airstrikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), targeting terror sites, in response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26.

The strikes conducted under Operation Sindoor targeted the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and the Lashkar-e-Taiba Muridke base. India said over 100 terrorists were killed in the operation, including Yusuf Azhar, Abdul Malik Rauf and Mudasir Ahmed.

Following this, Pakistan launched retaliatory strikes on Indian cities, which led to military confrontations between the two nations. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to stop all military actions.