In a major development, Indian security agencies have conclusively confirmed the Pakistani nationality of the three terrorists responsible for the gruesome Pahalgam attack in Kashmir, which took place
In a major development, Indian security agencies have conclusively confirmed the Pakistani nationality of the three terrorists responsible for the gruesome Pahalgam attack in Kashmir, which took place on April 22 and claimed 26 lives. According to senior officials, multiple layers of evidence — including biometric data, official Pakistani documents, satellite phone records, and testimonies — establish that the terrorists were senior operatives of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit from across the border.
The revelations came after a well-coordinated counter-terror operation, codenamed Operation Mahadev, was executed on July 28 in the Dachigam forest area near Srinagar. In this high-stakes encounter, all three foreign terrorists were killed by Indian security forces.
Post-encounter investigations uncovered compelling evidence linking the slain terrorists directly to Pakistan. Authorities have ruled out the involvement of any local individuals in the attack, asserting that the entire shooting team comprised Pakistani nationals.
Security agencies recovered several critical items that proved instrumental in confirming the terrorists’ identities:
Indian forensic labs matched AK-103 rifles recovered in the Dachigam encounter with shell casings found at the Baisaran attack site. The striation marks were a perfect match. Additionally, mitochondrial DNA from blood traces found on a torn shirt at the Pahalgam site matched the DNA profiles of the three slain terrorists.
GPS data from a Garmin device recovered from Suleman Shah aligned with the coordinates of the firing points observed by eyewitnesses. The same device tracked their route from Harwan forest to Baisaran and back after the attack.
The three LeT operatives were identified as:
These individuals infiltrated through the Gurez sector in May 2022 and were sheltered by two local supporters in a seasonal hut near the attack location just a day before the massacre.
Further confirming Pakistan’s involvement, officials said Sajid Saifullah Jatt, LeT’s South Kashmir operations chief based in Changa Manga, Lahore, was handling the attackers remotely. Voice samples from the recovered satellite phone matched those from previously intercepted calls involving Sajid.
Also, Rizwan Anees, LeT’s commander in Rawalakot, visited the families of the slain attackers and led a ‘Ghaibana Namaz-e-Janaza’ (funeral in absentia) on July 29. This footage is now part of India’s formal dossier on Pakistani sponsorship of terrorism in Kashmir.
Earlier sketches released by police on April 24 — based on photos retrieved from an unrelated December 2024 shootout — led to temporary confusion. However, security forces have now cleared that none of the individuals in those sketches were involved in the Pahalgam attack. The real perpetrators have been identified with complete certainty.
The evidence presented by Indian security agencies is both compelling and irrefutable. For the first time, government-issued documents, biometric records, and digital footprints have been used to nail Pakistan’s direct involvement in one of the deadliest attacks in Kashmir in recent years.
This watershed moment could have significant diplomatic and geopolitical implications, as India is likely to use this dossier to further expose Pakistan’s ongoing support to cross-border terrorism on international platforms.
FAQs
The terrorists were identified as Pakistani nationals and Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives: Suleman Shah alias Faizal Jatt, Abu Hamza alias Afghan, and Yasir alias Jibran.
Through NADRA biometric data, voter identity slips from Pakistan, satellite phone logs, and other personal and forensic evidence.
They were neutralized on July 28, 2025, during Operation Mahadev in the Dachigam forest near Srinagar.
Two Kashmiri men provided food and shelter a day before the attack, but no local was part of the shooting team, according to officials.
This concrete proof of Pakistani involvement could strain bilateral relations further and may lead to international pressure on Pakistan to curb terrorism.
