LeT handler plotted Pahalgam massacre, TRF carried out strike: NIA chargesheet

Jammu: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday submitted a 1,597-page chargesheet that lays out an extensive plot behind the Pahalgam terror attack, asserting that the strike was directed from Pakistan through Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its shadow organisation, The Resistance Front (TRF). The April 22 assault in the Baisaran meadows killed 26 people, including 25 tourists and a local pony handler, and rattled the region for months. The agency’s filing before the NIA Special Court in Jammu traces what it calls an “unabated” campaign of cross-border terrorism and describes the killings as “religion-based targeted” violence.

According to the NIA, the conspiracy was led from Pakistan, with LeT chief Hafiz Saeed and TRF commander Habibullah Malik, widely known as Sajid Jatt, named for planning and directing the operation. “Pakistani handler terrorist Sajid Jatt is also named as an accused in the chargesheet,” the agency stated. The document says Jatt served as the main controller of the attackers and coordinated the strike through encrypted channels from what investigators believe is his base near LeT’s headquarters in Islamabad.

The chargesheet identifies Jatt along with three Pakistani nationals who executed the killings: Faisal Jatt alias Suleman Shah, Habeeb Tahir alias Jibran and Hamza Afghani. All three were killed on July 29 during Operation Mahadev in the Dachigam forests on the outskirts of Srinagar, almost 100 days after the Pahalgam incident. Their bodies were recovered with mobile phones that investigators later examined to retrieve Aadhaar cards, photographs and Facebook accounts of several individuals, material the NIA says indicates their attempts to blend into local populations. The agency also said it had cracked multiple end-to-end encrypted conversations between the trio and their handler in Pakistan, which will serve as key evidence in court.

This is the first major filing in the case and comes within the statutory 180-day limit counted from the first arrests on June 22. Two local residents, Parvaiz Ahmad and Bashir Ahmad Jothar, were detained that day for allegedly sheltering the terrorists. Both have been chargesheeted, with the NIA claiming they confirmed during questioning that the attackers were Pakistani nationals linked to LeT. Their disclosures also helped investigators verify the identities of the three gunmen.

The document charges all accused, including the LeT and TRF, under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, the Arms Act 1959, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967. The agency has additionally invoked sections related to waging war against India. Officials familiar with the investigation said more than 1,000 people were examined during the months-long probe, with technical and forensic evidence used to tie the operation to Pakistan-based handlers.

Sajid Jatt, who has been declared an individual terrorist under the UA(P)A since October 2022, reportedly uses several aliases including Saifullah, Numan, Langda, Ali Sajid and Shani. The NIA describes him as the operational head of the TRF and a key figure in LeT’s recruitment and infiltration network in Kashmir. Investigators link him to a series of high-profile attacks in recent years, including the 2023 Dhangri massacre, the assault on an Air Force convoy in Poonch in May 2024 and the Reasi bus attack in June 2024. The agency alleges he provided logistical support to hybrid militants and remains among the most significant figures in the group’s hierarchy.

The Pahalgam killings triggered a sharp escalation between India and Pakistan. On May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor targeting multiple terror camps across the border. According to officials, nine camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were bombed in pre-dawn strikes, resulting in the deaths of at least 100 terrorists. The exchange of fire rapidly widened, involving missiles, fighter aircraft, armed drones and heavy artillery along the western frontier.

One of the most intense episodes unfolded on the night of May 9-10, when the Indian Air Force targeted 13 Pakistani military installations and airbases. After four days of hostilities, both nations reached an understanding that halted the confrontation on the evening of May 10.