Pahalgam victim's daughter thanks Army for killing LeT terrorist

Asavari Jagdale, daughter of Pahalgam terror attack victim Santosh Jagdale, hailed the killing of LeT terrorist Hashim Moosa by security forces. She called it the 'happiest day' and a step towards justice for the 26 victims of the April 22 attack.

Asavari Jagdale, daughter of Pahalgam terror attack victim Santosh Jagdale, on Wednesday expressed gratitude to the Indian Army and security agencies following the killing of Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Hashim Moosa in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam.

'Happiest day for the country'

Speaking to ANI, Jagdale said she considered the day as one of the happiest days for her, recalling the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. "Today, I will consider it the happiest day for me. On April 22, 2025, the way our people were killed in the Baisaran Valley, 26 lives were lost. They were killed after asking about their religion. The way they brutally killed our people, today I came to know that the mastermind behind it has been eliminated in an encounter. I would say this should be the happiest day for the country," she said.

Gratitude to security forces

Expressing her gratitude towards the security forces, she said, "I want to thank the Army and all the intelligence forces working on this. I request you to continue this operation and eliminate all the terrorists in this country until the last terrorist is eliminated." Jagdale recalled that she had performed her father's shraddh (death anniversary ritual) the previous day and had spoken to his photograph about the ongoing operations against terrorism. "Yesterday was my father's shraddh, and I was talking to him. I told him that whatever operations are happening against terrorism are because of the sacrifice of all of you. The 26 people who were killed, the sacrifice of those 26 people is the reason these operations are taking place," she said.She added that she was emotional after learning about the encounter and thanked the Indian Army, security forces and agencies involved in the operation. "I am really, really thankful to the Indian Army, Indian forces and all the agencies working behind this. I hope that a day like April 22 never comes again. I request you to remain alert," she said.

'A step towards justice'

When asked whether she felt her family had received justice, Jagdale said that the killing of the terrorist was a step towards justice but the complete legal process was still pending. "Yes, I will say that justice has been served. When Operation Sindoor happened, I felt that the Prime Minister took a big step and gave a strong message to Pakistan that we will not tolerate any kind of terrorism," she said."Today, I feel all 26 families will be happy that the mastermind behind the plan due to which their loved ones were killed has been eliminated. I feel that one chapter of the case has ended," she added.However, she said that the case would be fully closed only after the completion of the legal proceedings. "I would say that NIA should continue working on this. A chargesheet has been filed regarding the April 22 incident. Until the entire case is closed, I would say that we are still on the path of justice. Only when the final verdict comes will I say that the 26 families have received complete justice," Jagdale said. (ANI)(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)