Srinagar: The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir Police has filed a chargesheet in connection with the November 15, 2023 grenade attack on a temple in Surankote area of Poonch district.
The chargesheet has been filed against two individuals — Abdul Aziz, son of Late Abdul Rehman, resident of Hari Safeda, Surankote, Poonch; and Nazir Ahmed alias Naziroo alias Ali Khan, son of Late Khursheed Ahmed, “a Pakistan-based terrorist” who also hails from Hari Safeda, Surankote, police said.
It said investigations have revealed that Abdul Aziz carried out the grenade attack on the instructions from Nazir Ahmed, who is currently operating from Pakistan. Nazir Ahmed had exfiltrated to Pakistan in 2001, where he joined the proscribed terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and later became associated with the Jammu Kashmir Gaznavi Force (JKGF), police said.
“Towards the end of 2022, Nazir Ahmed re-established contact with Abdul Aziz, his relative, through encrypted messaging applications using Pakistan-based numbers. During this time, he radicalized and recruited Aziz into HM/JKGF, instructing him to carry out grenade attacks in Poonch to further the terror outfit’s agenda and ideology,” police said.
It said Nazir Ahmed not only indoctrinated and recruited Abdul Aziz but also supplied him with hand-grenades and detailed instructions for the execution of the attack through encrypted communication channels.
“The investigation reveals a wider conspiracy by the Pakistan-sponsored Hizbul Mujahideen to destabilize the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The act aimed to spread terror, incite communal violence, and undermine public peace by creating fear among the common people,” says police.
