NIA gets extended remand of youth amid failure to link them to Pahalgam attack
Jammu: Having failed to find any credible evidence, a special court in Jammu has granted the National Investigation Agency (NIA) an additional 10 days’ remand of two Kashmiri youth arrested on fabricated charges of ‘harbouring’ attackers allegedly involved in the Pahalgam false flag operation that took place on April 22 in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the court extended the remand of Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar after the expiry of their previous 10-day remand. The two were presented before the Special NIA Court in Jammu, which approved the extension to allow the agency to continue its investigation, officials said.
Parvaiz and Bashir were initially arrested on June 22, and presented before a local court in Jammu the next day. The court had granted an initial five-day remand before the case was transferred to the special NIA court.
The NIA has alleged that the duo sheltered the alleged attackers in a seasonal ‘dhok’ (hut) located in Hill Park, Pahalgam, prior to the April 22 incident. The agency claims they provided food, shelter, and logistical support to the attackers.
However, both men have denied the charges, maintaining that they never assisted anyone involved in the attack. They called the accusations baseless and politically motivated.
The extended detention of the two Kashmiris has raised fresh concerns over the misuse of investigative agencies to target innocent civilians under false narratives and to lend credibility to a widely discredited false flag operation.
