Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Tuesday (June 24, 2025) that none of the attackers involved in the Pahalgam terror attack were locals, and those who allegedly provided shelter “probably did so under duress.”
“There was no local involvement in the Pahalgam incident. The people who shot and killed those 26 persons were all outsiders,” Mr. Abdullah, who attended a function to promote tourism in Gulmarg, said.
Referring to the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) recent arrests of two locals for harbouring the terrorists, Mr. Abdullah suggested that those arrested “were forced to help under duress.”
“If they (locals) helped the attackers, it was not of their own will. Coercion in such situations cannot be ruled out,” he said.
Pahalgam terror attack: NIA gets 5-day remand of two accused
