Pahalgam attack probe finds Pakistan link:NIA says Chinese phones that held Baisaran area’s data were sent to a Pak’s address

Pakistani link found in Pahalgam attack probe. According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the terrorists involved in the attack had prior location data of the Baisaran area stored on their mobile phones. A forensic examination of the devices revealed that the geographical coordinates of Baisaran were recorded in a navigation app, and screenshots of the location had been saved on the phones. According to NIA sources, the terrorists had planned the attack well in advance and conducted reconnaissance of Baisaran about a week before the assault. Two Chinese-made mobile phones used by the attackers were reportedly shipped to addresses in Pakistan. Supply chain records showed that the devices had been delivered to locations in Karachi and Lahore. Sources further said that screenshots of the Baisaran area were taken on April 15 and 16, 2025. On April 22, 2025, terrorists attacked Baisaran Valley, around 6 km from Pahalgam, killing 26 tourists and injuring 16 others. The victims were allegedly targeted on the basis of their religious identity. May 24: NIA says GoPro camera reached terrorists via China The NIA had earlier revealed that an action camera made by US company GoPro was recovered from terrorists accused in the Pahalgam attack. Investigators said the device had reached Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists through China. The agency believes tracing the camera’s route could expose networks that supply funds, equipment and other resources to terror groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir. The high-tech camera was recovered from terrorists killed in an encounter in the Dachigam forests following the Pahalgam attack in July last year. Use of body cameras by terrorists is increasing According to NIA officials, terror outfits in Jammu and Kashmir are increasingly using body cameras and action cameras to record attacks and later use the footage for propaganda purposes. To trace the camera’s origin, the NIA contacted US-based GoPro Inc. The company informed investigators that the device had been shipped to one of its authorised distributors in China. Authorities are now examining how the camera moved from China into the hands of terrorists. Investigators are probing clandestine procurement networks, intermediaries and possible local support involved in the supply chain. Pakistan’s role in the Pahalgam attack The NIA filed its chargesheet in the Pahalgam attack case on December 15, 2025. Details from the chargesheet, which surfaced recently, indicate that Pakistan was involved in the terrorist attack carried out in Pahalgam on April 22 last year. The mastermind behind the attack was identified as Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Saifullah alias Saifullah Sajid Jatt alias Langda, a resident of Kasur near Lahore, Pakistan. Sajid Jatt was the main handler of the terrorists. Investigators said he remained in constant contact with the three attackers during the operation, providing them with real-time directions. He was the one who sent them the location of Baisaran Valley, the site of the attack, and continued communicating with them throughout the assault. Tourist guides could have helped prevent the attack According to the NIA chargesheet, the attack might have been prevented if tourist guides Parvez Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar had alerted security agencies in time. Both guides had reportedly seen the terrorists in Baisaran but did not inform authorities. They have since been arrested. A day before the attack, the three terrorists allegedly sought help in the name of God and ate food at guide Parvez’s hut. They also took bread and vegetables with them when they left. Before opening fire, the attackers reportedly ate under a tree in Baisaran Valley. After carrying out the attack, they allegedly fired celebratory shots while shouting religious slogans. The chargesheet describes the incident as a religion-based targeted killing in which 25 tourists and one local resident were killed. The three Pakistani terrorists killed during Operation Mahadev on July 28 were also named as accused in the case. Also involved in the Z-Morh Tunnel attack According to investigators, Sajid crossed the border and entered Kulgam in south Kashmir in 2005. He uses a prosthetic leg after being shot in the leg, which led to the nickname “Langda” (lame). He is accused of recruiting terrorists, arranging funding, facilitating infiltration and providing logistical support. In 2019, Sajid Jatt alias Langda allegedly helped establish The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy outfit of Lashkar-e-Taiba. He is considered a key handler and operational commander of terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir. The NIA has linked him to several attacks, including the Pahalgam attack, the Dangri attack, the attack on an Indian Air Force convoy in Poonch and the Reasi bus attack. Langda and his three associates were also allegedly involved in the firing incident at Srinagar’s Z-Morh Tunnel on October 20, 2024, in which seven people were killed. Security forces had then killed a terrorist named Junaid. A GoPro camera and an M4 carbine recovered from him were reportedly similar to those used by the three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack. Investigators believe both incidents were carried out by the same terror module. July 28: Three perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack killed According to the NIA, Pakistani terrorists Faisal Jatt alias Suleman, Habib Tahir alias Jibran Bhai and Hamza Afghani, who were involved in the Pahalgam terror attack, were killed by security forces on July 28, 2025. Langda, one of India’s most wanted terrorists, carries a bounty of ₹10 lakh. India’s Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam attack In retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, India carried out airstrikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) at 1:05 am on the night of May 6–7. The operation was named Operation Sindoor. India reportedly launched 24 missiles during the strike. Nine terrorist hideouts were targeted, and more than 100 terrorists were reportedly killed. Among those killed were 10 family members and four associates of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar, according to Indian authorities.