Pulwama terror attack

The Pulwama terror attack of February 14, 2019, remains one of the deadliest strikes on Indian security forces in decades. Executed by a suicide bomber affiliated with Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), the attack led to the deaths of 40 CRPF personnel and triggered a massive shift in India's internal security policies and foreign relations.

This page on Moneycontrol.com offers a comprehensive overview of the Pulwama attack, its repercussions, investigation progress, and long-term counter-terrorism measures taken by India.

• A convoy of over 70 CRPF vehicles was en route from Jammu to Srinagar when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into one of the buses near Lethpora in Pulwama district. The impact killed 40 jawans on the spot and injured several others. JeM quickly claimed responsibility.
• The bomber was identified as Adil Ahmad Dar, a local youth from South Kashmir who had reportedly joined JeM in 2018. The attack involved nearly 80 kg of explosives, including RDX and ammonium nitrate.

• In response to the Pulwama attack, the Indian Air Force launched the Balakot airstrike on February 26, 2019, targeting a JeM training camp in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. This marked India’s first air raid across the Line of Control (LoC) since the 1971 war.
• India revoked Pakistan’s MFN (Most Favoured Nation) status.
• Global pressure intensified on Pakistan to act against JeM leadership.
• The United Nations Security Council condemned the attack and eventually listed Masood Azhar, JeM chief, as a global terrorist.

• India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted a detailed probe and uncovered a wide terror module operating from Pulwama and South Kashmir. Several overground workers and local collaborators were arrested. The NIA found that Pakistan-based handlers coordinated the attack via encrypted messaging apps.
• By 2023, all identified local operatives involved in the planning or logistics of the attack had either been neutralized in encounters or arrested.

• The Pulwama attack led to sweeping reforms in convoy movement protocols, border surveillance, and terror financing laws.
• Convoys are now accompanied by aerial surveillance drones and road sanitization teams.
• The government launched Operation All-Out, intensifying counter-terror operations in South Kashmir.
• Legislative changes allowed the seizure of property and bank accounts linked to terrorist funding.