Pakistani Terrorist Sajid Saifullah Jutt Named as Mastermind Behind Deadly Pahalgam Attack by NIA

Sajid Saifullah Jutt, a Pakistani national, has been identified as the primary orchestrator behind the deadly Pahalgam terror attack.

Srinagar/New Delhi:

Pakistan's direct involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack has been conclusively revealed, with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) formally naming Sajid Saifullah Jutt as the main conspirator behind the April 22 attack that claimed the lives of 26 tourists.

Jutt, who hails from Pakistan's Kasoor region, currently leads The Resistance Front (TRF), a known offshoot of the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The NIA has announced a substantial reward of Rs 10 lakh for any information that leads to his capture and has officially designated him as a proscribed terrorist under the UAPA.

The comprehensive chargesheet was filed following eight months of meticulous investigation.

The document also names three Pakistani terrorists - Suleimani Shah, Hamza Afghani, and Jibran - who executed the attack in Pahalgam. These three were subsequently eliminated during operation Mahadev conducted in the Dachigam area on July 28.

Filed in an NIA court in the Jammu region, the chargesheet identifies six additional individuals, including local accomplices Bashir Ahmed Jothar, Parvez Ahmed Jothar, and Mohammad Yusuf Katari, who provided crucial food and logistical support to the terrorists. Three more individuals are also named in the document.

Investigators discovered that Bashir and Parvez sheltered the Pahalgam attackers in a hut located in the Hill Park area on the night of April 21. Mohammad Yousuf assisted the terrorists by navigating them through the forest belt in South Kashmir and guiding them to the attack location.

During its seven-month investigation, the NIA interrogated over 1,000 people, which helped uncover the extensive LeT and TRF network involved in planning and executing the attack.

According to the NIA's statement, the LeT/TRF and the four terrorists mentioned have been charged under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, the Arms Act, 1959, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.

"In its chargesheet, the NIA has also invoked penal provisions relating to waging war against the Government of India," the official statement confirmed.