'Surrender for Peace': Family of terrorist Adil Hussain appeals after house demolition following Pahalgam attack

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Anantnag: Before the security forces demolished her home using controlled explosives, Shahzada Bano was taken to the location where her son, Adil Hussain Thoker, had last returned to have a meal.

Around 12:30 a.m. that same night, soldiers tore down the family’s house in Guree village, located near Bijbehara in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, after escorting Bano to a relative’s house in a nearby village. The Army, supported by sniffer dogs, later conducted a sweep of the debris to search for any unexploded ordnance.

Adil, once a bright student, is now one of the primary suspects in the deadly attack on Tuesday in Pahalgam, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people. His family had lost contact with him years ago, with no communication since 2018. "The last we heard from him was on April 29, 2018, when he mentioned he was heading to Badgam for an exam," said Shahzada Bano. "After that, his phone went off, and we filed a missing person report three days later."

While Bano expressed disbelief that her son could be involved in such violence, she added, "If he is involved, the forces can act accordingly." She also appealed for Adil to surrender, "so that we can live in peace".

"They came to me and said, 'Your son came home and had a meal'. I said, 'If you knew that, why didn't you arrest him?' I told them he hasn't been home for years," she said. "Then they said a bomb is about to explode. Run quickly."

The family claimed that Adil traveled to Pakistan in 2018 after becoming involved with extremists. Intelligence agencies have confirmed that he crossed into Pakistan using a study visa. Authorities suspect that he re-entered India across the Line of Control (LoC) in 2024.

Adil's father, Waleem Mohammad Thoker, along with his brothers Jahir and Arshlam, and cousins Julankar and Sajjad, are all in custody in connection with the Pahalgam attack. His mother was briefly detained for one day.

In Guree village, home to about 4,000 residents, the shock of the situation remains palpable. Hafeez, a neighbor and local shopkeeper, remembered Adil as a dedicated student who was pursuing a master's degree through IGNOU after graduating from Government Degree College in Khanabal. "He wasn’t very social but was always focused on his studies," Hafeez shared. Tariq Ahmad, another villager, called on authorities to release Adil's relatives who are currently detained.

In a continued effort to curb terror activities in the region, security forces have demolished the homes of several active terrorists, taking the total number of such demolitions to ten since the deadly Pahalgam attack on April 22.

The terrorists whose houses have been demolished so far include Lashkar-e-Taiba's Adil Hussain Thoker, Zakir Ahmad Ganai, Amir Ahmad Dar and Asif Sheikh, Shahid Ahmad Kuttey, Ahsan ul Haq Amir, Jaish-e-Mohammed's Amir Nazeer Wani, Jameel Ahmad Sher Gojri, The Resistance Front's Adnan Safi Dar and Farooq Ahmad Tedwa.