 Atul Sharma
Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 27: Security forces have arrested a school teacher, who was allegedly an active Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative, for providing logistical support to Pakistani terrorists behind the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, including that of a Nepalese citizen.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Yousuf Katari, 26, was arrested from South Kashmir’s Kulgam district following an intelligence lead. Though employed as a teacher, investigators revealed that Katari had been working as an Over Ground Worker (OGW) for LeT on the directions of handlers across the border.
“Katari’s role in facilitating the movement and shelter of the attackers has been established during investigation. His arrest followed a detailed analysis of weapons and equipment seized from terrorists killed during Operation Mahadev,” officials said.
Security agencies believe Katari provided support to the LeT terrorists who executed the attack at Baisaran in Pahalgam, popularly known as ‘mini Switzerland’. The assault left 25 tourists—24 Indians and one Nepali—and a local resident dead. Among the victims were an Indian Navy officer and an Intelligence Bureau official.
The attack, claimed by The Resistance Front, a proxy of LeT, was the deadliest in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike.
Following the attack, security forces launched Operation Mahadev in Dachigam near Srinagar on May 22. The weeks-long operation culminated in the killing of three terrorists, including the mastermind of the Pahalgam strike.
Recovered weapons—including AK-47 and M9 rifles—were sent to a forensic lab in Chandigarh. Reports confirmed they were the same arms used in the Pahalgam massacre.
In retaliation to the attack, the Indian Air Force carried out Operation Sindoor on May 6–7, targeting and destroying infrastructure at nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The strikes triggered three nights of cross-border military action before both India and Pakistan agreed on May 10 to halt all hostilities across land, air, and sea from 5 p.m. onwards.
Authorities said Katari’s arrest highlights a worrying trend of educated individuals, including teachers and professors, being drawn into militancy and anti-national activities in Jammu and Kashmir. |
