Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 17: A special NIA court in Jammu has issued non-bailable warrants (NBW) against two Lashkar-e-Taiba commanders accused of orchestrating terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir while operating out of Pakistan — including a direct role in the Pahalgam massacre.
The warrants target Saifullah alias Sajid Jatt and Khalid alias Lala Huzaifa, both named in the ongoing probe under case RC No. 02/2026/NIA/JMU. Special Judge Prem Sagar passed separate orders against the two on September 8, after the NIA informed the court that both accused were holed up in Pakistan and could not be produced through the ordinary legal process.
According to the NIA, Saifullah — a resident of Pakistan's Kasur district who also goes by Sajjad Jatt, Sajjad, Ali Bhai and Habibullah Malik, among other aliases — is a designated terrorist under the Fourth Schedule of the UAPA. Investigators say he has been supplying weapons, funds and operational directions to active terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir from across the border.
The probe traces his roots in militancy back to 2005–2007, when he operated as a Lashkar commander in Kulgam. After relocating to Pakistan, he allegedly continued running the network remotely — switching between codenames including Langda, Noomi, Numan, Usman Habib and Shani to stay in contact with his local operatives in the Valley. Investigators say he played a key role in the Pahalgam attack.
The breakthrough came from a routine checkpoint in Srinagar's Pandach area. Police stopped a motorcycle-borne man, Mohammad Naqib Bhat of Batpora, and recovered a Chinese-made grenade and 15 live cartridges from his possession. That seizure led to an FIR (No. 24/2026) at Zakura police station under the UAPA, Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act — and from there, to the wider network.
The investigation that followed led to the arrest of the alleged network mastermind, Abdullah alias Abu Huraira, a Pakistani terrorist identified as Usman alias Khubaib, and three local associates. Abdullah, officials say, had been absconding for nearly 16 years and had even set up hideouts for the network outside Jammu and Kashmir.
Investigators say Saifullah's name surfaced through digital evidence — communication IDs and Telegram contacts recovered from an arrested Pakistani terrorist — which the NIA alleges were used to pass on instructions to Valley-based operatives for targeting security forces, civilians and government installations.
The second accused, Khalid alias Lala Huzaifa alias Bakkarwali, is described by the NIA as a Lashkar commander currently based in Pakistan, allegedly involved in supplying arms, funds and directives to terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Before relocating across the border, Khalid is said to have served as Lashkar's divisional commander for Ganderbal and Bandipora districts, with alleged involvement in multiple terror incidents in the region.
The non-bailable warrants were issued under Section 75 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), after NIA's Chief Investigating Officer and DSP Amit Sharma moved an application before the court. The judge issued the warrants after examining the evidence and submissions placed on record.
The warrant against Khalid has been forwarded to the DIG, NIA Jammu, for further legal action, while the one against Saifullah has been sent to the SSP, Kulgam. Court records list Saifullah's last known address as Yamrach, Kulgam — he is reported to be married to a woman from the same village who is currently residing in Pakistan. |