The Pahalgam attack on April 22 left 26 civilians dead when gunmen opened fire on a camp in the Baisaran valley. The mastermind, Hashim Musa, also known as Suleiman Shah, was tracked by Army, CRPF and J&K Police for three months and six days before being eliminated in a firefight near Srinagar.
Suleiman Shah, once a commando of Pakistan Army’s Special Service Group, defected to Hafiz Saeed’s Lashkar‑e‑Taiba in September 2023. He led the October 2024 assault that killed seven workers, and a Baramulla strike that wiped out four security personnel. Sources say he was involved in at least six terror operations.
Operation Mahadev was launched at 05:30 hours on July 28 in the Mulnar area of Harwan. Intelligence flagged a Chinese ultra‑radio link used by LeT operatives, prompting a joint combing exercise. The forces moved in with infantry, artillery and aerial support, keeping a physical and electronic surveillance net.
The encounter ended with the death of Suleiman Shah and two other terrorists. A cache of weapons – Carbine, AK‑47 rifles, 17 rifle grenades and additional ammunition – was seized. The team suspects the trio were planning a large‑scale attack.
Earlier that night, India struck nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistani‑Occupied Kashmir under Operation Sindoor, targeting infrastructure used by LeT, Jaish‑e‑Mohammed and other groups. The strikes aimed to blunt future plots.
The forces will now tighten patrols around Mulnar and extend surveillance to nearby forested areas, while the Army prepares for a potential follow‑up operation to secure the region.