During a Lok Sabha session, Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed that the three terrorists killed in Operation Mahadev were involved in the Pahalgam attack on April 22, 2025, in which 26 people were killed. Shah stated that Operation Mahadev began on May 22, 2025. The three terrorists were identified as Suleiman alias Asif, Jibran, and Hamza Afghani. All three were identified as "A-grade" terrorists.

Operation Mahadev was a joint operation by the Indian Army, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and the Jammu and Kashmir Police. The operation took place near Dachigam National Park in Srinagar's Harwan area. The operation was launched based on intelligence inputs indicating the presence of terrorists in the Mulnar area of Harwan.

Suleiman Shah, believed to be the mastermind of the Pahalgam attack, was a former commando of the Pakistan Army's Special Service Group (SSG) and later joined Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Jibran was allegedly involved in the Sonamarg tunnel attack last year.

The security forces had been tracking the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack for several days, with intelligence inputs suggesting they had moved towards the Dachigam area. The operation was codenamed Operation Mahadev after Mahadev Peak in Srinagar. Security forces had been conducting physical and electronic surveillance, and they picked up on suspicious communication using Chinese ultra radios, which LeT uses for encrypted messages. This led them to the Dachigam forests, where the terrorists were suspected to be hiding.

The bodies of the terrorists were brought to Srinagar for identification. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken two accused individuals, Farvez Ahmed Jothar and Bashir Ahmed Jothar, who allegedly harbored the terrorists, to identify the bodies.

Amit Shah also stated that the government has proof that the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack were from Pakistan, including voter IDs of two of the terrorists and the rifles used in the attack. He criticized Congress leaders for allegedly shielding Pakistan and seeking proof of the terrorists' origin. Shah also mentioned that the chocolates recovered from the terrorists were made in Pakistan.