‘Surrender so we can live in peace’: After Pahalgam attack, terrorist Adil’s family loses home

BIJBEHARA: Before security forces levelled her home with controlled explosives, Shahzada Bano was shown the spot where her son Adil Hussain Thoker had returned to eat a meal.Hours later, around 12.30am, soldiers demolished the family's house in Guree village near Bijbehara of J&K's Anantnag district, after escorting Bano to a relative's place in a neighbouring village.The Army, accompanied by sniffer dogs, later swept the ruins for any unexploded ordnance.Read also: Who is Adil Hussain Thokar? Once an Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) student, now a mastermind behind Pahalgam attackAdil, once a promising student, is now among the chief suspects in Tuesday's attack in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead. His whereabouts had been unknown for years, and his family maintains they have had no contact with him since 2018."We have not heard from him since April 29, 2018, when he said he was going to Badgam for an examination," Bano said. "After that, his phone was switched off. We lodged a missing report three days later."Bano insisted she cannot accept that her son could be involved in the killings but added: "If he is involved, the forces can act accordingly." She also appealed for Adil to surrender, "so that we can live in peace".Read also: Pakistan violates LoC ceasefire for third consecutive night, Indian Army retaliatesBano said security forces came late Thursday, searched the home, and conducted a video call showing the house's interior to an Army officer. "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."Read also: 'We are extremely disturbed by the attacks on tourists': Terror not strong enough to cut Kolkata bonds, say Kashmiri shawl sellersThe family said Adil left for Pakistan in 2018 after falling in with extremists. Intelligence agencies confirmed he crossed into Pakistan on a study visa. Officials believe he re-entered India across the LoC in 2024.Adil's father Waleem Mohammad Thoker, his brothers Jahir and Arshlam, and his cousins Julankar and Sajjad are all in custody following the Pahalgam killings. His mother was detained for a day."My house has been demolished. My husband and sons are in custody. How long will the neighbours feed me?" Bano said, holding Adil's photograph and insisting that the sketches released by authorities do not resemble her son.In Guree village, a community of about 4,000 residents, the shock lingers. Hafeez, a neighbour and local shopkeeper, recalled Adil as a serious student pursuing a master's degree from Ignou after graduating from Govt Degree College in Khanabal. "He wasn't very social but focused on studies," Hafeez said. Tariq Ahmad, another resident, urged authorities to release Adil's detained relatives.