In Pahalgam chargesheet, NIA points to crucial link: Two phones bought in Pakistan

Speaking in the Lok Sabha in July, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had announced that three terrorists gunned down in the Dachigam forest area on the outskirts of Srinagar were the same as those involved in the April 22 terror attack. He identified the three as Suleiman alias Faisal Jatt, Afghan and Jibran, and said they had all come from Pakistan.

The NIA chargesheet has relied on, among other things, the two phones found at the encounter site, sources said, adding that the probe agency has confirmed the devices were “bought in Pakistan”.

The chargesheet is over 1,500 pages and details the conspiracy, roles of the accused, and supporting evidence.

The chargesheet has been filed against seven accused (both individuals and terror outfits), including the three Pakistani terrorists killed during ‘Operation Mahadev’ at Dachigam.

The document also names Pakistani “handler” Sajid Jatt and the terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)/The Resistance Front (TRF) as accused. “The banned terrorist organisation LeT/TRF has been chargesheeted for its role in planning, facilitating, and executing the Pahalgam attack,” it states.

Two other accused, Kashmir residents Parvaiz Ahmad and Bashir Ahmad Jothar, were arrested by the NIA on June 22, 2025, for harbouring militants and have been challaned under Section 19 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. Both are in judicial custody, the agency said.

The agency is learnt to have stated that during their interrogation, they disclosed the identities of the three armed terrorists involved in the attack, and confirmed that they were Pakistani nationals affiliated to the LeT.

The Pahalgam terror attack left 25 tourists and one local civilian dead.