National Investigation Agency
NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday filed its chargesheet in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack case, naming seven accused, including Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its offshoot, The Resistance Front (TRF).Also Read | Intelligence agencies monitor expansion of terrorist infrastructure in POKThe anti-terror agency presented the chargesheet before the NIA Special Court in Jammu. The 1,597-page chargesheet also names Pakistani handler Sajid Jatt, along with three Pakistani terrorists killed by security forces during Operation Mahadev at Dachigam in Srinagar in July. They have been identified as Faisal Jatt alias Suleman Shah, Habeeb Tahir alias Jibran, and Hamza Afghani. Further, the chargesheet has arraigned the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and The Resistance Front (TRF) as legal entities for their role in planning, facilitating and executing the Pahalgam assault.It comes nearly seven months after the agency arrested two men for harbouring the terrorists who carried out the deadly attack.The duo — Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar — had reportedly disclosed the identities of the three armed terrorists and confirmed that the attackers were Pakistani nationals affiliated with the proscribed LeT.According to NIA investigations, Parvaiz and Bashir had knowingly sheltered the three terrorists before the attack.
Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor
On April 22, heavily armed terrorists shot dead 26 civilians — all men — including a local resident and a tourist from Nepal, in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley.Also Read | Army displays Turkish drone used by Pak during Op Sindoor; was going to hit JalandharAfter announcing a series of diplomatic measures, India responded with Operation Sindoor, carrying out airstrikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7. The strikes triggered intense cross-border clashes that were halted after Islamabad sought a ceasefire on May 10.
