NIA Files Chargesheet in Pahalgam Terror Attack; Lashkar-e-Taiba and TRF Named as Accused

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday filed a detailed chargesheet in connection with the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 25 tourists lost their lives. The chargesheet squarely blames Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its shadow organisation The Resistance Front (TRF) for planning and executing the attack.

According to the NIA, the terror strike that took place on April 22 was a religion-based, Pakistan-sponsored attack aimed at spreading fear and destabilising peace in the region. The 1,597-page chargesheet was submitted before a special NIA court in Jammu, detailing the conspiracy, operational planning, and the role of each accused, supported by scientific and technical evidence collected during an eight-month-long investigation.

Pakistan-Based Handler Named

The agency has named Sajid Jatt alias Habibullah Malik alias Sajid Langda, a Pakistan-based terrorist handler, as a key accused. Sajid, operating from Islamabad, is described as the operational commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the chief controller of TRF activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

Investigators revealed that Sajid played a central role in radicalising and training youth in Pakistan before pushing them into India to carry out terror strikes. The chargesheet states that LeT’s operational module for this attack was based in PoK’s Kotli region, commonly referred to as the “Kotli Wing.”

Key Associates Identified

The NIA has also named Sajid’s close associates, including Rafiq Nai alias Sultan, described as his right-hand man based in Pakistan, and Riyaz Ahmad, who operates from the Mirpur–Kotli area in PoK. These individuals allegedly facilitated logistics, training, and movement of terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack.

Terrorists Killed in Operation Mahadev

The chargesheet includes the names of three Pakistani terrorists who were directly involved in the attack and were later neutralised by Indian security forces during ‘Operation Mahadev’ in Dachigam, Srinagar, in July 2025, a few weeks after the Pahalgam massacre.

Charges of Waging War Against India

The NIA has invoked stringent provisions, including sections related to waging war against the Government of India, against the accused. The agency stated that its investigation conclusively established that the attack was part of a larger, sustained conspiracy by Pakistan-based terror networks to sponsor and execute attacks on Indian soil.

Officials said the chargesheet exposes Pakistan’s continued role in nurturing terrorism and using proxy outfits like TRF to mask the direct involvement of globally designated terrorist organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The filing of the chargesheet marks a significant step toward accountability in one of the deadliest terror attacks targeting civilians in Jammu and Kashmir in recent years.