By A Correspondent
Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir): Almost eight months after the brutal terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 25 tourists and a local pony operator, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on December 15, 2025, filed a comprehensive charge sheet, formally tracing the conspiracy to Pakistan-based terror outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its proxy, The Resistance Front (TRF).
The charges were submitted before a special NIA court in Jammu within the statutory 180-day deadline, marking a crucial milestone in one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in recent years.
According to the NIA, seven accused have been charge-sheeted, including Pakistani handler Sajid Jatt, a key LeT operative, along with other terrorists and local collaborators.
The agency has also invoked stringent provisions, including charges related to “waging war against India,” underscoring the gravity of the conspiracy and its cross-border sponsorship.
The April 22, 2025, attack at Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam was carried out by three Pakistani terrorists — Faisal Jatt alias Suleiman Shah, Habeeb Tahir alias Jibran, and Hamza Afghani — who allegedly stormed the area, identified victims by religion, and opened fire in an attempt to incite communal unrest.
All three were later killed by Indian security forces during Operation Mahadev in the Dachigam forest in July 2025 after a prolonged manhunt.
Investigators said the 1,597-page charge sheet details how the attackers were sheltered and assisted by two local residents, Parvaiz Ahmad and Bashir Ahmad Jothar, who were arrested on June 22, 2025.
During interrogation, the duo reportedly confirmed that the gunmen were Pakistani nationals linked to LeT and had helped them with logistics and shelter before the attack.
The NIA’s probe involved questioning over 1,000 individuals and relied on extensive forensic and technical evidence.
This included recovery of Aadhaar cards, photographs, Facebook profiles, and encrypted digital communications from the terrorists’ devices, which were decoded to establish links with handlers based in Pakistan who planned and directed the assault.
The Pahalgam massacre sharply escalated tensions between India and Pakistan, pushing the two nuclear-armed neighbours to the brink of full-scale conflict.
In response, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, carrying out pre-dawn strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The ensuing four days saw intense cross-border hostilities involving fighter jets, missiles, drones, and artillery, before an understanding was reached on May 10 to halt military action.
The NIA said the charge sheet conclusively establishes Pakistan’s role in sponsoring terrorism against India, with LeT and TRF charged as entities under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (the new Indian Penal Code), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and the Arms Act.
The attack, the agency reiterated, was aimed at destabilising peace in Kashmir and targeting civilians to provoke wider unrest.
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