NIA Exposes Pakistan Link in Pahalgam Terror Attack
Pak national Sajid Saifullah Jutt named mastermind; ₹10 lakh reward announced
- NIA names Pakistani terrorist Sajid Saifullah Jutt as key conspirator
- Attack killed 26 tourists in Pahalgam on April 22
- Chargesheet filed after eight months of investigation
- Local accomplices charged for providing shelter and logistics
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 16th Dec: Pakistan’s involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack has been laid bare after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) named Pakistani national Sajid Saifullah Jutt as the main conspirator behind the April 22 attack that claimed the lives of 26 tourists in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the NIA, Jutt, a resident of Kasoor in Pakistan, heads The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The agency has announced a reward of ₹10 lakh for information leading to his arrest and has designated him a proscribed terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The NIA filed its chargesheet in a special court in the Jammu region after an eight-month-long investigation. Besides Jutt, the chargesheet names three Pakistani terrorists — Suleimani Shah, Hamza Afghani and Jibran — who carried out the Pahalgam attack and were later killed during Operation Mahadev in the Dachigam area on July 28.
The chargesheet also names six others, including local accomplices Bashir Ahmed Jothar, Parvez Ahmed Jothar and Mohammad Yusuf Katari, who allegedly provided food, shelter and logistical support to the terrorists. Investigators found that Bashir and Parvez had hosted the attackers in a hut in the Hill Park area on the night of April 21, while Mohammad Yusuf guided the terrorists through the forest belt of South Kashmir and helped them reach the attack site.
During the course of the probe, the NIA questioned over 1,000 people, uncovering a wider LeT-TRF network involved in planning and executing the attack.
According to the agency, the accused have been charged under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, the Arms Act, 1959, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The NIA has also invoked provisions relating to waging war against the Government of India.
The agency said the chargesheet establishes clear evidence of cross-border terror planning and execution, reinforcing India’s long-standing position on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
