For Pakistan to have a deniability factor, Jaish recruited local for Pulwama attack

Srinagar, Feb 15: In one of the most ghastly attacks, nearly 44 CRPF jawans were martyred, after a suicide bomber of the Jaish-e-Mohammad rammed into the bus in which they were travelling.

The Jaish in a departure from its modus operandi used a local from Kashmir to carry out the attack. The Jaish for such major operations uses its Pakistani fidayeens. However for the attack at Pulwama, it decided to go with a local for several reasons.

Sources say that one of the main reasons why it went in for a local was for the deniability factor. Once India raises the attack on an international scale, Pakistan would point out that the attack was carried out by an Indian national. Officials however add that this point would be countered by the fact that the Jaish is Pakistan based and its supreme commander Maulana Masood Azhar lives under the protection of the Pakistani government.

Adil Hussain Dar, a resident of Pulwama, Kashmir was identified as the suicide bomber. He said in a video that was released by the Jaish after the attack that by the time people would watch it, he would be dead. He also said that he had joined the Jaish a year back.

According to the police, he had been missing from his home town of Gundibagh, Pulwama since 2016. He is said that to have joined the Jaish sometime in late 2017. He had dropped out from school and had been working as a mason.

Security officials say that it is after a long time that one is coming across a local who became a suicide bomber. This was a clear ploy on part of the Jaish to show that the locals of Kashmir are ready to go to any length to fight against the Indian establishment.

Official sources also say that Adil was highly radicalised before he was picked for the mission. Initial inputs suggest that he had been preparing for the mission since the past six months. He was highly radicalised and hence agreed to carry out this attack.

Also Read | Jaish bomber released a chilling video before striking at Pulwama

The Jaish normally uses its Pakistani fidayeens for such major attacks. However there has been a diversion this time around and the terror group picked a local for the strike. This move also comes in the wake of some local terrorists complaining that they are not used for the major missions.