Pahalgam terror attack: LeT followed Pakistan military brass' instructions, reveals report

Security force personnel standing guard at the site of Pahalgam attack. (Reuters file photo)

Pakistan's political and military brass was directly involved in the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives on April 22. The ghastly attack was carried out by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) as per directions from Pakistani political and military leaders, The Times of India said in a report quoting sources.

The ISI instructed one Sajid Jutt, Pakistan-based LeT commander, to deploy only foreign terrorists who are operating in Jammu & Kashmir for executing the attack. There were strict orders to limit involvement of Kashmiri terrorists in order to keep the entire operation covert.

According to the report, Jutt was told in clear terms to ensure minimal local involvement on a "need-to-know" basis.

The April 22 Pahalgam attack was reportedly led by Sulaiman, believed to be a former Pakistani special forces commando. According to the TOI report, he underwent training at Lashkar-e-Taiba's Muridke terror hub in Pakistan's Punjab province. Upon completion of training, he infiltrated into Jammu via the LoC in 2022. There is substantial proof of involvement of two other Pakistani terrorists in the hit squad.

Just one week before the incident, Suleiman was in Tral forest area which is close to the terror attack site. As per the TOI report, satellite phone analysis has revealed that Sulaiman's location was in Tral forest on April 15. This indicates he was in the vicinity of the attack site at Baisaran for almost a week before the incident.

Sulaiman was reportedly also involved in the April 2023 attack on an Army truck in Poonch in which five soldiers were killed. After the attack, he went underground for the next two years.

In the April 22 terror attack, which had sent shockwaves across the country and raised security concerns, 26 people (mostly tourists) were killed as terrorists opened fired at Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam.

The J&K Police had suspected the involvement of Pakistani terrorists Hashim Musa and Ali Bhai, but the probe has confirmed Sulaiman's role. There is also no evidence confirming that local terrorist Adil Hussain Thoker acted as a facilitator.

Last month, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had arrested two locals - Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar but it is believed that even they had a limited role. Both the men, hailing from Pahalgam, offered food and shelter to the Pakistani terrorists in exchange for some money. They have, however, denied having any prior knowledge of the Pakistani terrorists' plan to attack tourists in Baisaran Valley.