Pulwama attack staged to avenge killing of Masood Azhar’s kin says Indian evidence to Pak

New Delhi, Mar 13: The Pulwama attack was hatched by the Jaish-e-Mohammad chief, Masood Azhar and his younger brother Abdul Rauf Asghar to avenge the killing of their kin in the Kashmir Valley.

The evidence that India has gathered in connection with the attack suggests that the the duo hatched the plot in the aftermath of the killing of Talha Rasheed, Azhar. nephew. He was gunned down by the security forces at Pulwama on November 6 2017. Usman Haider, another son of Azhar's elder brother was killed in an encounter at Tral in October 2018.

In the evidence that India produced to Pakistan, it is said that a massive recruitment driver of local youth was carried out following the death of Azhar's kin. They sought to cash in on the killings and roped in locals into the JeM to carry out the Pulwama attack.

Further the technical evidence clearly suggests that the entire planning was done in Pakistan. The video that was uploaded in the aftermath of the attack was done from an IP near Rawalpindi. Another clip claiming responsibility for the attack too was done from the same place, evidence also suggests.

Further the evidence also suggests that the operatives stayed in touch on a Telegram group named the Afzal Guru Squad al-Islam. The same group was used to upload the confessional video of the Pulwama bomber, Adil Ahmed Dar.

Once the plot was hatched, Abdul Rashid Ghazi was sent into Kashmir by the Jaish-e-Mohammad. He was tasked with training the locals and during the radicalisation sessions, he repeatedly said that the deaths of Rashid and Haider have to be avenged.

While Ghazi imparted the training, the last minute details and the execution of the attack was overseen by one Kamran, a Pakistani national who was killed in an encounter on February 18.

Further India says that the JeM used a Kashmir local for the attack to send out a message that the youth in the Valley were disgruntled. Further it was also said that Pakistan could have the deniability factor by using a local.