SRINAGAR: Two weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack that took 26 lives, search operations are still on to track the Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists in the dense forests surrounding the Baisaran meadow. Besides, a massive crackdown across the Valley is also on, but success is elusive.The Baisaran meadow is currently off-limits to civilians, and the road leading to it has been closed. Police, army and paramilitary forces launched a combing and search operation in the area within hours of the attack. The operation has been extended beyond a 12-km radius. The army’s elite para commandos assist the security personnel in the search. The army is using drones, helicopters and other electronic gadgets for aerial surveillance. Highly trained sniffer dogs are also part of the operation.“Security forces are using the latest surveillance gadgets to track the terrorists’ movements. We suspect that they are still hiding in the forest area, and it seems they have adequate supplies and are prepared for the long haul,” sources said.An official said, “We are hopeful of tracking and eliminating the militants involved in the terror attack.” The police have identified three Lashkar terrorists—Hashim Musa alias Suleiman and Ali Bhai alias Talha Bhai, both Pakistani terrorists, and Abid Hussain Thoker, a local terrorist from Anantnag. They carry a bounty of Rs 20 lakh on their heads. Security agencies suspect the involvement of five Lashkar terrorists, including three Pakistanis, in the attack. Sources said the security agencies probing the attack have questioned many ponywallas, hoteliers and shopkeepers during the ongoing investigation. The NIA has taken over the investigation of the case, and NIA officials are camping in Pahalgam.Last week, NIA Chief Sadanand Vasant Date visited the attack site to review the pace of investigations.Police and security agencies have also launched a massive crackdown against terrorist networks of overground workers and militant sympathizers across the Valley. Agencies have conducted raids and searches at suspected places, including residences of active and former militants across the Valley, to look for clues.A police official said about 2,800 suspected persons have been picked up for questioning. Ninety people have been booked under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) in the Valley.The agencies have also demolished the houses of nine active terrorists in the Valley after the Pahalgam attack. It was the first time that houses of terrorists were demolished in over three decades of violence in J&K.On Tuesday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed concern about the arrest spree. He said the impression should not be given that everybody is being punished for catching the attack’s perpetrators. He said innocents should not be harmed during the hunt for the perpetrators.
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