India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has formally charged six individuals and a Pakistan-based militant organization in connection with the devastating April attack on tourists in Kashmir’s Pahalgam resort that claimed 26 lives. The chargesheet, filed Monday, explicitly accuses Pakistan of orchestrating the assault through the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) organization and its proxy faction, The Resistance Front (TRF).
The April 22nd assault, which predominantly targeted Hindu tourists, ignited four days of intense cross-border hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors. The subsequent military exchanges involved missile strikes, drone attacks, and artillery fire resulting in approximately 70 casualties on both sides of the Kashmir divide.
According to the NIA’s investigation, Pakistani handler Sajid Jatt stands charged alongside three other militants identified as Faisal Jatt (alias Suleman Shah), Habeeb Tahir (alias Jibran), and Hamza Afghani. These three operatives were reportedly eliminated by Indian security forces during counter-insurgency operations in Kashmiri woodlands several weeks following the initial attack.
The agency has additionally charged two local Kashmir residents—Parvaiz Ahmad and Bashir Ahmad Jothatd—who were apprehended in June under allegations of providing sanctuary to the attackers. The comprehensive chargesheet outlines what Indian authorities describe as ‘Pakistan’s conspiracy’ behind the planning, facilitation, and execution of the assault.
The Himalayan region of Kashmir remains a perpetually disputed territory between India and Pakistan since their 1947 partition from British colonial rule. Both nations claim sovereignty over the entire region, having engaged in two full-scale wars over its control. Since 1989, separatist insurgent groups have waged a persistent campaign seeking either Kashmir’s independence or unification with Pakistan.