Operation Mahadev: Forensic & Document Proof Links Pahalgam Attackers to Pakistan

Indian security agencies have claimed compelling evidence confirming the nationality and involvement of the three terrorists behind the deadly April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians in Baisaran Valley. The operation code-named Operation Mahadev, carried out on July 28 in the Dachigam-Harwan forests near Srinagar, resulted in the elimination of senior Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives identified as Suleman Shah (alias Hashim Musa), Abu Hamza “Afghani”, and Yasir “Jibran”.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking in Parliament on July 29, said the terrorists were confirmed to be from Pakistan through documentary, forensic, biometric and testimonial evidence. Investigators recovered Pakistani voter ID cards, Candyland and ChocoMax chocolate wrappers produced in Karachi, and a micro‑SD card carrying biometric records from Pakistan’s NADRA system—linking the men beyond doubt to Pakistan. Their voter card serial numbers matched electoral rolls in Lahore and Gujranwala, and addresses traced to Changa Manga and Rawalakot in PoK.

Ballistic testing matched the AK‑47 rifles seized during the operation to shell casings found at the Pahalgam site, while DNA from blood stains matched mitochondrial profiles of the three dead terrorists. These findings were confirmed by scientists and corroborated through witness testimony from detainees who had sheltered the men.

Additionally, sophisticated foreign-origin weapons such as a US-made M4 Carbine, a Romanian Model 90 assault rifle, and a hybrid Russian AKM were seized, indicating an organised cross-border arms supply chain.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry has rejected these claims, calling the Indian account “replete with fabrications” and insisting on an independent impartial probe. India, however, has categorically declined such third-party investigation proposals, reaffirming bilateral sovereignty on the issue.

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