Who is Saifullah Khalid, alleged mastermind behind J&K terror attack?

As per intelligence assessment, Saifullah Kasuri, alias Khalid, a top Lashkar commander is suspected to be one of the plotters in the gruesome attack that was carried out by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday, a TOI report said. Abu Musa, another Lashkar commander, is also under close scrutiny, the report added.

Saifullah Kasuri, the Lashkar-E-Tayyaba (LeT) deputy chief, was introduced as the President of the Milli Muslim League (MML) in 2017 as per the US Treasury, the report added.

The publication also mentioned that he is the head at LeT’s headquarters situated in Peshawar and he served on Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD)’s Coordination Committee for Central Punjab Province.

In April 2016, JuD was designated as an alias of LeT by the US Department of State and in December 2008, it was added to the United Nations Sanctions list, the report said.

A Financial Express report further mentioned that Khalid was suspected to have connections with LeT co-founder Hafiz Saeed, and also gave speeches that fueled communal attacks.

A militant group linked to Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed's Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), TRF, on Wednesday, claimed responsibility for the Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam terror attack. On Tuesday, terrorists opened fire at a prime tourist location in south Kashmir's Pahalgam, killing at least 27 civilians and injuring several others.

"More than 85,000 domiciles have been issued to non-locals, creating a pathway for demographic change in Indian-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJK). These non-locals arrive posing as tourists, obtain domiciles, and then begin to act as if they own the land. Consequently, violence will be directed toward those attempting to settle illegally," reports said quoting TRF.

Meanwhile, Khalid has denied his involvement in the gruesome Pahalgam attack, Financial Express report stated.

The publication further mentioned about a viral video that has been making several rounds on the internet, wherein Khalid called out Indian media for “wrongfully” putting the blame of the terror attack on him and Pakistan.

Khalid, in the video urged the world not to support India blindly, and also blamed India for destroying Pak’s image, the report added. He also said that India “created drama as they were themselves behind the attack”, and that the Pahalgam attack has nothing to do with Pakistan or any of its organisations.