A known figure from India’s terror history has come back into the spotlight during the investigation into the recent Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which left 26 civilians dead.

Advertisment

National Investigation Agency (NIA) sources have revealed that Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, the chief of the banned terror group Al-Umar Mujahideen, may have indirectly aided the attack.

Zargar, who was one of the terrorists released in exchange for hostages during the 1999 Kandahar hijack, is currently based in Pakistan. According to officials, his supporters reportedly helped overground workers (OGWs) involved in planning and executing the Pahalgam terror attack.

Also read: 'Air raid sirens, civilian training': India orders civil defence drills on May 7 as tensions with Pakistan rise: Govt sources

Advertisment

Kandahar hijack connection

Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar was freed along with Maulana Masood Azhar and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh in exchange for the passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in 1999. Though now he is living in Pakistan, Zargar still maintains influence in Srinagar, his hometown. His supporters, as per NIA, may have played a role in supporting the recent terror activity in Pahalgam.

Also read: 'WE KNOW HOW YOU THINK': Pakistan-based hacker group targets India again, claims military data theft; IDSA denies breach

Advertisment

Who is Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar?

Known also as ‘Latram’, Zargar is accused of several terror-related crimes including abductions and brutal killings of those who resisted militancy in Kashmir during the early 1990s.

In 2023, Indian authorities seized Zargar’s property as part of the crackdown. The government has banned Al-Umar Mujahideen, and Zargar was officially designated a terrorist by the Union Home Ministry in March last year.

Also read: ‘Checking for active ties with Pakistan’: 22 Pakistani women in India gave birth to 95 Indian children; population now over 500

Following the Pahalgam attack, several banned outfits have come under NIA’s radar. Many individuals, believed to be linked to these groups, have already been taken into custody. In a series of raids conducted on Thursday, 21 homes were searched in Srinagar. This included the ancestral house of Zargar.

These raids are part of an intensified drive by law enforcement against former militants, overground workers, and individuals charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in light of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Also read: 'Will go hungry, but get the bomb’: How Pakistan got the nuclear bomb? A story of desperation, fear, and rivalry with India