Year after Pahalgam terror attack, NIA details cross-border conspiracy links

The agency named Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its proxy The Resistance Front, linking the attack to Pakistan-based groups in a 1,600-page chargesheet.

Srinagar: A year since the April 22, 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has pieced together the conspiracy through a layered investigation involving technical inputs, questioning and on-ground verification, even as further probe continues.

The agency, which took over the case within days, began by casting a wide net—questioning over 150 persons and tracking suspected overground workers.

The probe narrowed after investigators identified a local support network, leading to the arrest of two accused for allegedly harbouring the attackers. Another suspect was later booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for alleged terror financing links.

Officials said a key breakthrough came from analysis of communication patterns and technical intelligence, which helped establish links between local facilitators and handlers across the border.

Interrogations of the arrested accused then enabled investigators to reconstruct the attackers’ movement, shelter points and logistics chain, they said.

In December 2025, the NIA filed a nearly 1,600-page chargesheet before a special court, naming seven accused, including a Pakistan-based handler, the three attackers—identified as Pakistani nationals and later killed in security operations—and local facilitators.

The agency also named Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its proxy The Resistance Front, linking the attack to Pakistan-based groups.

Officials said the investigation indicates a remotely coordinated operation, with local operatives providing logistical support. However, the case remains under further investigation, with efforts focused on identifying additional associates, tracing financial flows, and gathering supplementary evidence.

The chargesheet has been filed, but trial proceedings are yet to conclude, and the findings of the probe will ultimately be tested in court.