Pahalgam Terror Attack: NIA Files 1,597-Page Chargesheet, Names LeT-TRF, 6 Accused

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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a 1,597-page chargesheet in a special court in Jammu, linking Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its proxy The Resistance Front (TRF) to the deadly April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. The chargesheet names seven accused, including Pakistan-based TRF commander Sajid Jatt, who allegedly supervised the attack and was involved in several targeted killings in Jammu and Kashmir since 2021. The NIA investigation, which spanned nearly eight months, revealed a conspiracy orchestrated by Pakistan, with supporting evidence from end-to-end encrypted communications and Aadhaar cards found on mobile phones of the three Pakistani terrorists involved in the attack. The agency has invoked various sections of the law, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and charged the banned LeT/TRF as a legal entity for their role in planning and executing the attack. The chargesheet also names three terrorists who were killed in an encounter with security forces in July, as well as two local residents who were arrested for harbouring and assisting the Pakistani attackers. The NIA had interrogated over 1,000 people and collected various technical and forensic evidence during its probe. The Pahalgam terror attack, which targeted 25 tourists and one local civilian, had brought India and Pakistan to the brink of a full-scale war in May. The incident sparked a significant escalation of tensions between the two nations, with India launching Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).