Pahalgam attack planned by Lashkar militant Sajid Jatt:Terrorists ate, later fired celebratory shots; NIA charge sheet reveals

According to the charge sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Pakistan was involved in the terrorist attack that took place in Pahalgam on April 22 last year. The charge sheet says the alleged mastermind of the attack was Saifullah Sajid Jatt, a militant linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba. According to the NIA, Sajid Jatt, based in Kasur, near Lahore, Pakistan, acted as the main handler. The agency said he remained in constant contact with the three attackers, gave them real-time instructions and shared the location of the attack site in Baisaran Valley. The charge sheet further states that he stayed in contact with the attackers during the incident. Sajid reportedly uses a prosthetic leg after suffering a bullet injury. The NIA said he crossed the border and entered Kulgam in south Kashmir in 2005. Details from the charge sheet, filed on December 15, 2025, have now emerged. On April 22, 2025, 26 tourists were killed, and 16 were injured in the attack in Baisaran Valley, around 6 km from Pahalgam. The attackers allegedly targeted people based on their religious identity. Also Read | Pulwama attack mastermind Burhan’s murder accused arrested Attack could have been prevented if guides had informed authorities Also linked to Z-Morh Tunnel attack According to the charge sheet, in 2019, Saifullah Sajid Jatt allegedly formed The Resistance Front (TRF), described as a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba. The NIA said Sajid Jatt and three associates were also involved in the firing at the Z-Morh Tunnel in Srinagar on October 20, 2024, in which seven people were killed. During that incident, security forces killed a militant named Junaid. According to the NIA, the GoPro camera and M4 carbine recovered from him matched those used by the three attackers, suggesting the same terror network was involved in both attacks. Three Pahalgam attack accused killed According to the NIA, Pakistani militants Faisal Jatt alias Suleman, Habib Tahir alias Jibran Bhai, and Hamza Afghani, who were accused in the Pahalgam attack, were killed by security forces on July 28, 2025. The NIA said Sajid Jatt, also known as Langra and listed among India’s most wanted militants, carries a reward of 10 lakh rupees. India’s Operation Sindoor: response to Pahalgam attack India carried out retaliatory air strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir at 1:05 am on the night of May 6–7 in response to the Pahalgam attack. The operation was named Operation Sindoor. India reportedly fired 24 missiles during the strikes. Nine terrorist hideouts were hit in the operation, resulting in the deaths of more than 100 militants. Among those killed were 10 members of the family of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar, along with four of his associates.