NIA’s comprehensive 1,597-page chargesheet, filed on December 15, 2025, explicitly names Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Sajid Jatt, alias Sajid Saifullah a senior operative in Lahore as the principal conspirator and cross-border handler in the brutal April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 civilian lives in Kashmir’s idyllic Baisaran meadows; it charges seven accused, designates LeT.
The Resistance Front (TRF) as terrorist entities, uncovers meticulous planning with religion-based victim selection, local facilitation by over 15 individuals, and funding trails from Pakistan; India exposes Islamabad’s direct involvement amid prior denials, with military responses like Operations Mahadev and Sindoor eliminating key perpetrators, as affirmed by Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament.
Chargesheet Exposes Mastermind’s Role
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has laid bare a chilling cross-border terror blueprint in its detailed chargesheet, spotlighting Sajid Jatt’s pivotal command from Pakistan.
As a high-ranking LeT figure, Jatt orchestrated the assault through encrypted communication platforms, dictating target selection focusing on the crowded tourist spot in Pahalgam precise timings, logistical support, and even weapon procurement.
The attack unfolded with horrifying precision: militants conducted religion-based checks, forcing victims to recite the Kalma before opening fire, resulting in 25 tourists and one local pony owner losing their lives in what became Kashmir’s deadliest civilian strike since the 2019 Pulwama tragedy.
NIA probes, including interrogations of two suspects arrested in June, revealed three Pakistani nationals from the elite “Falcon Squad” Suleman Shah (alias Faisal Jatt), Habeeb Tahir, and another among the attackers, later neutralised in India’s Operation Mahadev in July.
Forensic evidence, such as ballistic matches from recovered weapons, ties these slain militants directly to the Baisaran bloodshed, while digital footprints trace instructions and funds back to handlers in Lahore and beyond.
TRF Proxy Unravelled Amid Retaliatory Strikes
The chargesheet further dismantles the facade of The Resistance Front (TRF), an LeT proxy unveiled in 2019 to shield Pakistan from international backlash, particularly from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), by masquerading as a “local Kashmiri” outfit.
TRF swiftly claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam carnage before retracting amid scrutiny, a move experts dismiss as disinformation, given linguistic and operational signatures linking it firmly to Lashkar. Jatt’s oversight extended to managing multiple Kashmir modules, coordinating via secure apps despite Islamabad’s persistent denials of state sponsorship.
In response, Indian security forces launched Operation Mahadev, eliminating the three Falcon Squad members in a daring raid, followed by Operation Sindoor targeting nine terror launchpads across the border prompting brief artillery exchanges.
Home Minister Amit Shah, addressing Parliament, revealed intelligence triumphs: months of satellite phone surveillance, voice sample matching, and human intel pinpointed the plotters, exposing at least 15 local facilitators who aided reconnaissance, safe houses, and exfiltration attempts. These revelations echo patterns from past assaults, reinforcing calls for Pakistan to dismantle such networks.
Broader Implications for Regional Security
This NIA indictment arrives against a backdrop of escalating tensions, building on prior exposures of Pakistan-backed modules. The Pahalgam attack shattered a fragile calm in the tourism-dependent valley, where visitors flock for its apple orchards and meadows, humanising the toll through stories of families picnicking turned into tragedy.
It follows intensified counter-terror grid in Jammu and Kashmir post-Article 370 abrogation, yet underscores persistent infiltration threats. Globally, the chargesheet bolsters India’s FATF advocacy, detailing hawala funding routes and overseas directives that evade scrutiny.
As investigations continue with absconding accused like Jatt still at large the case spotlights the human cost: survivors’ trauma, economic ripples for locals, and the urgent need for intelligence-sharing pacts.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At The Logical Indian, we unequivocally denounce this barbarity that poisons prospects for peace, empathy, and shared humanity, ripping apart innocent lives and communal fabric in pursuit of divisive agendas.
True resilience demands dismantling terror ecosystems via unrelenting justice, international diplomacy pressuring Pakistan to prosecute handlers like Sajid Jatt, and nurturing dialogue that honours coexistence over conflict while empowering local communities against radicalisation through education and opportunity.
