news details |
|
|
| Pahalgam terror attack: NIA traces IP addresses, mobile phones to Pakistan | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, May 20: The National Investigation Agency (NIA), in its comprehensive chargesheet filed in the 2025 Pahalgam attack, named Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Saifullah alias Sajid Jatt, also known as “Langda,” as the principal conspirator behind the massacre that claimed 26 civilian lives.
The chargesheet, submitted after an extensive investigation, details what the agency describes as a meticulously planned cross-border conspiracy orchestrated by handlers linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and its proxy outfit, The Resistance Front (TRF). According to the NIA, both technical and human intelligence have established “clear and compelling evidence” connecting the three attackers to their handlers in Pakistan.
The agency has identified Sajid Jatt, operating from Lahore, as Accused No. 1 and the mastermind who allegedly monitored and directed the attack in real time from across the border.
Investigators said Sajid remained in constant contact with the terrorists during the assault, guiding them by sharing precise coordinates and operational instructions. The NIA has also documented his long-standing involvement in terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
Born in Kasur, Sajid is believed to have infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir in 2005. He reportedly lived in Kulgam district between 2005 and 2007, married a local woman named Shabbira, and fathered a son before returning to Pakistan. His family members, including his son, have been questioned as part of the investigation.
According to the chargesheet, the first claim of responsibility for the attack was posted on a Telegram channel named “Kashmir Fight.” Technical analysis traced the channel’s IP address to Battagram.
After the United Nations Security Council condemned the killings, TRF claimed its channel had been hacked and denied involvement.
A second Telegram channel, “TheResistanceFront_Official,” was traced to Rawalpindi. Investigators said the sequence indicated a coordinated disinformation campaign aimed at portraying the massacre as a “false flag” operation after international scrutiny intensified.
The NIA has also cited forensic evidence from two mobile phones recovered from two of the three terrorists killed during Operation Mahadev.
Supply-chain data obtained from Xiaomi confirmed that both devices were sold and delivered in Pakistan.
One handset was delivered to Quaid-e-Azam Industrial Estate in Kot Lakhpat, Lahore, while the second was traced to Shahrah-e-Faisal in Karachi.
According to investigators, the evidence provides strong proof of logistical support and operational planning from Pakistani territory.
The chargesheet states that Sajid Jatt established an extensive network of overground workers in south Kashmir and used it to execute multiple terror attacks. The same network, according to the NIA, was activated for the Pahalgam massacre.
The agency further alleges that after the abrogation of Article 370 abrogation, Sajid played a key role in creating TRF as Lashkar-e-Taiba’s local proxy to disguise Pakistan-backed terrorism as an indigenous insurgency.
He is also accused of overseeing cross-border smuggling of arms and narcotics into Jammu and Kashmir using drones.
A witness statement cited in the chargesheet said the three terrorists spoke in Urdu with a Punjabi accent and repeatedly referred to “Jatt @ Ali” while staying in a local shelter before the attack.
The witness told investigators that the terrorists were discussing the forthcoming Shri Amarnath Yatra, nearby security camps, and troop movements, suggesting that they were gathering intelligence for future strikes.
Investigators said Sajid, who reportedly lost a leg in an encounter and now uses a prosthetic limb, dispatched the three terrorists toward Besaran Valley between April 15 and 16, indicating that the conspiracy was finalised just days before the massacre.
The NIA said the chargesheet exposes not only the operational role of Pakistan-based handlers but also a sophisticated propaganda effort designed to mislead the international community and obscure the direct involvement of Lashkar-e-Taiba and TRF in one of the deadliest civilian attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in recent years. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
