In a bold stand against terrorism, the homes of two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists, Adil Thokar and Asif Sheikh, linked to the Pahalgam attack, were demolished by the authorities in explosions in Anantnag and Awantipora, respectively, officials said on Friday.

The house of LeT terrorist Asif Sheikh in South Kashmir’s Tral was first demolished and then blown up. Sheikh has been identified as one of the key conspirators in the deadly attack in Pahalgam.
The demolition was carried out amid tight security and comes as part of the administration’s intensified measures to clamp down on terror networks operating in the region.
According to officials, Asif was under surveillance for the past few months and was found to have direct links with handlers in Pakistan.
The move is seen as a step towards dismantling the local support for terrorists.

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Thokar, who legally travelled to Pakistan in 2018 through the Attari-Wagah border, received terrorist training before covertly returning to Jammu and Kashmir last year. Intelligence sources suggest he served as a guide and logistics coordinator for Pakistani terrorists involved in the recent attack, which claimed at least 26 lives.

Locals in South Kashmir remained indoors as security forces cordoned off the area during the demolition operation.

Anantnag Police has announced a cash reward of Rs 20 lakh on information leading to the arrest or neutralisation of terrorists Adil Hussain Thoker, Ali Bhai and Hashim Musa, who were involved in the attack on tourists in Baisaran on 22 April.