Pahalgam Attack: How Terrorist Habib Tahir’s Funeral Revealed Pakistani Link
One of the Pahalgam attackers, Tahir Habib had been a category ‘A’ wanted militant linked to the April 22 Pahalgam attack (Image courtesy: RNA)
Even as Pakistan has denied its link to dastardly terror attack on civilians in Pahalgam, new revelations continue to shed light on the Islamabad connection to the day. On April 22, terrorists had shot 26 civilians at gunpoint in Pahalgam valley. The attack was recently avenged by the security forces during the Operation Mahadev.
Now, fresh details have emerged which connect Pakistan to the deadly attacks. Recently, the ‘Janaza-Ghaib (funeral in absentia)’ of one of the attackers – Tahir Habib – was held in his village in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, videos and pictures were posted on messaging platform Telegram.
Habib’s funeral in PoK serves as a second confirmation that Pakistan was involved in the April 22.
How Pahalgam attacker’s funeral revealed a Pak link?
According to a report in The Times of India, videos and photos of Habib’s ‘Janaza-Ghaib’ were shared on Telegram channels, which showed the elderly of Khai Gala in Rawalkote coming together for the final prayers. Habib was a former Pakistan Army soldier and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative.
A striking event that happened during the funeral was the presence of local LeT commander Rizwan Hanif, who tried to be part of it. However, Habib’s family explicitly stopped LeT members from attending the funeral but Hanif insisted. This caused a confrontation.
“Lashkar operatives threatened mourners with a gun, sparking outrage among villagers. The residents of Khai Gala, who have long been wary of radicalisation, are now planning a public boycott to oppose terror recruitment,” a source was quoted as saying by TOI. “A Lashkar commander facing public backlash and being forced to flee is a testament to the changing dynamics in the region,” the source added.
Why this matters?
Habib’s family’s confrontation with the LeT leader is a mark of growing resistance among the residents of PoK against Pakistan’s state-sponsored terror machine. It also strongly signals that the impact of India’s Operation Sindoor on May 7 is being felt across the border.
It is worth mentioning here that Tahir Habib was a category ‘A’ terrorist, for his role in the Pahalgam attack and association with LeT. In the past, he had been associated with the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) and the Student Liberation Front (SLF).
He was killed during Operation Mahadev in Srinagar on Monday (July 28) along with two others was a major breakthrough for Indian security forces.
