How NIA’s Pahalgam chargesheet exposes Pakistan

December 17, 2025

The chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the April terror attack in Pahalgam offers the most detailed official account so far of how the assault was allegedly planned, directed and executed from across the border in Pakistan. Submitted before a special NIA court in Jammu on Monday, the 1,597-page document lays out the agency’s findings after nearly eight months of investigation into one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in Jammu and Kashmir in recent years.
According to the chargesheet, the killing of 25 tourists and one local civilian at the Baisaran meadows in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam was the result of a sustained, well-coordinated cross-border terror conspiracy. The NIA has argued that the attack was not an isolated act of violence but part of a broader Pakistan-sponsored terror strategy aimed at destabilising the region and spreading fear through high-impact civilian targeting.

In total, seven accused have been chargesheeted in the case. These include Pakistan-based terror operatives, three Pakistani terrorists who allegedly carried out the attack on the ground, banned terror outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its proxy organisation The Resistance Front (TRF), as well as two local residents accused of providing shelter and logistical support. The agency has also invoked serious charges related to waging war against India.

The chargesheet states that the attack involved religion-based targeted killings, with the victims selected to maximise psychological impact. The document brings together operational details, accused profiles, forensic and material evidence, digital records and statutory provisions to establish what the NIA describes as a clear chain of command linking senior terror leadership in Pakistan to the gunmen who executed the attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

The case has been registered under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Arms Act, 1959, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. Sections dealing with waging war against the country have also been applied, underlining the gravity of the charges. The NIA has stated that while the chargesheet has been filed, further investigation into additional links and operatives is still ongoing.

Among the key figures named in the chargesheet are Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and TRF head Habibullah Malik, also known as Sajid Jatt. Sajid Jatt, who is also identified as Saifullah Sajid Jutt and known by the alias ‘Langda’, has been described as the principal mastermind behind the Pahalgam attack. The NIA has identified him as a senior operational commander of LeT who oversees TRF’s activities in Kashmir. According to intelligence inputs cited in the chargesheet, Sajid Jatt operates from Islamabad and maintains close links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Investigators allege that the attack was carried out as part of a joint ISI-LeT conspiracy, with explicit instructions to deploy only Pakistani terrorists for the operation. The stated objective, according to the NIA, was to minimise the involvement of local Kashmiris in direct violence in order to reduce the chances of exposure and maintain operational secrecy. The chargesheet further notes that Sajid Jatt plays a central role in multiple aspects of terror operations, including recruitment, terror financing, infiltration of terrorists into Indian territory and managing TRF’s digital propaganda and outreach in the Kashmir region. The document outlines how communication channels, funding routes and logistical planning were allegedly coordinated to support the attack. Detailing the execution of the assault, the NIA stated that the attack took place on April 22 at the Baisaran meadows, a popular tourist spot that attracts large crowds during peak travel season. The attackers allegedly opened fire on tourists after identifying them on religious lines, killing 25 visitors and one local civilian, while injuring several others. Investigators say the choice of location and timing was deliberate, aimed at amplifying fear and drawing maximum national and international attention.