Lashkar Chief Hafiz Saeed’s Role Exposed In Pahalgam Terror Attack

The Pahalgam attack was launched by a hardened module belonging to the banned LeT organization, which had predominantly foreign terrorists with the assistance of local militants.

New Delhi:

The terror strike in Baisaran valley close to Pahalgam, which resulted in 26 individuals losing their lives, has put a long-active terror module active in Jammu and Kashmir in the limelight. The terror strike, one of the most fatal since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, has evoked high-level diplomatic and security reactions from the government against Pakistan, which has been blamed for sheltering the handlers and sponsors of this terror group.

The terror attack was orchestrated by a hardened outfit of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group with an overwhelmingly majority of foreign terrorists, led by local militants, overground workers from the Valley and guided by mastermind of 26/11 attacks and Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed.

The Module’s Previous Operations

This specific module has operated in the Kashmir Valley for decades, sources say. Security agencies are convinced it has been responsible for several high-profile attacks in the region, including those in Sonamarg, Boota Pathri, and Ganderbal. Four people, two of them Indian Army personnel, were killed in a terror attack at Boota Pathri in October 2024. The same month, Sonamarg also saw a fatal attack on workers building tunnels in which six workers and a physician were shot dead. Hashim Musa, one of the prime accused in the Pahalgam massacre, is suspected to be behind this attack.

Junaid Ahmed Bhatt

After the Sonamarg massacre, one of the main handlers of the module, Junaid Ahmed Bhatt, an A+ category Lashkar terrorist from Kulgam, was eliminated in an encounter at Dachigam in December 2024. The other members of the module escaped, breaking into nearby forested areas. Following a big attack, these terrorists usually go into hiding, lying low in thick forest hideouts until they receive new orders from their Pakistani handlers.

Associations to Lashkar Leadership

The module is said to be directly controlled by Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed and his second-in-command Saifullah, both of whom are said to be based in Pakistan. Indian intelligence agencies assert that the module is guided not only ideologically but also logistically and tactically by Pakistan’s military and its intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The composition of the group consists of a predominance of foreign fighters, but there are some locals and overground workers from Kashmir integrated within it, lending support and cover.

The Pahalgam Attack

In the Pahalgam attack, terrorists targeted three different points inside the Baisaran valley. Five individuals were killed collectively at one point, two were shot dead in an open field, and others were targeted near a fencing around the valley. Individuals who were able to jump over the fencing and escape were not harmed. Witnesses have reported that the attackers even spoke to them in short dialogues before shooting.

Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday unveiled sketches of the three suspects accused in the Pahalgam attack. Two are Pakistan nationals: Hashim Musa alias Suleman and Ali Bhai alias Talha. The third is a Kashmir resident Abdul Hussain Thokar, from Anantnag. The police has offered a Rs 20-lakh cash reward for genuine tips leading to their arrest.

Security personnel also discovered a hideout of the module in nearby forests on Thursday.

Diplomatic Fallout

On Wednesday, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, held an emergency meeting. The committee, which consists of Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, and top military and intelligence officers, declared a set of retaliatory actions.

India and Pakistan will both cut the strength of their diplomatic missions from 55 to 30 as of May 1. All military, naval, and air defence staff at the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi have been declared persona non grata and will have to vacate India within a week. Indian advisers in Islamabad will also be recalled.

The SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme has been suspended for Pakistani citizens, and all visas issued under this scheme have been cancelled. Pakistani nationals in India under this scheme are required to leave the country within 48 hours. The Attari-Wagah land border crossing has been shut down indefinitely. Pakistanis already in India have until May 1 to depart.

India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960.

Massive protests broke out outside the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi’s diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri on Thursday. Security personnel were deployed in numbers to manage the swelling crowds. Demonstrations were staged in Jammu and Kashmir and in a number of other Indian states condemning the attack.