New Delhi: Security forces have been looking for Pakistani terrorist Hashim Musa alias Suleiman—identified by the J&K Police as one of the Pahalgam attackers—since at least last summer, ThePrint has learnt.
On Friday, the Anantnag Police announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh for information on Musa, Adil Hussain Thoker, and Ali Bhai in connection with the terror attack that left 26 people dead, releasing sketches of the three.
— Anantnag Police( اننت ناگ پولیس) (@AnantnagPolice) April 24, 2025
According to sources in the security establishment, Musa has been involved in at least four terror attacks in the Valley—two in Kulgam including in Hallan, one in Dera Ki Gali in Rajouri and another in Poonch’s Shahsitar.
“Musa is well-trained and sharp. He is military trained, almost like an ex-serviceman. He is the group commander,” a source said.
In the Dera Ki Gali attack in December 2023, five Army personnel were killed and two others injured. The next day, three civilians were killed, allegedly after they were picked up by the Army. In the Shahsitar attack last May, an Indian Air Force convoy was attacked, leaving one personnel dead and four others injured. In September last year, an encounter broke out in Kulgam that left three terrorists dead and five security personnel including a J&K police officer injured.
While Adil Hussain Thoker, sources said, got the other foreign terrorists into India late last year, Musa is believed to have entered the country at least one and half years ago.
“We believe he entered from the Samba and Kathua side and then moved towards Kishtwar. There is no local support for these terrorists so they mostly live in tents in the dense forests and caves and keep moving, which is also why Musa hasn’t been arrested earlier,” another source said.
Sources said the terrorists had been hiding in the forests of the Baisaran valley and observing the influx of tourists in the area. Several intelligence inputs regarding the movements of militants in the area had been flagged, it is learnt.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Pahalgam terror attack: J&K Police releases names of 3 LeT terrorists, 2 from Pakistan, 1 Kashmiri