Sign In
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday filed a comprehensive chargesheet in connection with the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, naming seven accused, including a Pakistan-based handler and formally arraigning terror outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its proxy, The Resistance Front (TRF).
The 1,597-page chargesheet was submitted before the NIA Special Court in Jammu. Among those named is Sajid Jatt, identified as the main handler of the attack. The document also includes three Pakistani terrorists who were killed during Operation Mahadev in Dachigam, Srinagar, in July. They have been identified as Faisal Jatt alias Suleman Shah, Habeeb Tahir alias Jibran and Hamza Afghani.
In a significant move, the NIA has named the banned LeT and TRF as legal entities, holding them responsible for planning, facilitating and executing the Pahalgam assault. Charges have also been invoked against the accused under provisions related to waging war against India.
The filing of the chargesheet comes nearly six months after the agency arrested two local men — Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar — for allegedly harbouring the terrorists involved in the attack. The duo was arrested on June 22 and has now been formally named as accused. During questioning, they reportedly revealed the identities of the attackers and confirmed that the assailants were Pakistani nationals linked to the proscribed LeT.
The April 22 attack saw three heavily armed terrorists open fire in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley, killing 26 civilians, all men. The victims included a local and a tourist from Nepal.
Following the attack, India announced a series of diplomatic steps and later launched Operation Sindoor, conducting airstrikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7. The strikes led to intense cross-border exchanges, which ended after Pakistan sought a ceasefire on May 10.
