The April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 civilians dead was, according to Indian security sources, orchestrated by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) at the direction and with full approval of Pakistan’s political and military leadership. The planning for the attack mirrored the model used in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, with strict instructions from ISI to keep the operation limited to foreign terrorists—no Kashmiri militants were included, and minimal local support was allowed solely on a “need-to-know” basis.
The hit squad consisted exclusively of Pakistani nationals. The operation was led by Sulaiman, identified as a suspected former Pakistani special forces commando, who had received training at the LeT’s Muridke headquarters in Punjab, Pakistan. He infiltrated into Jammu & Kashmir in 2022. Two other Pakistani nationals reportedly made up the rest of the core team.
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Satellite phone records place Sulaiman in the Tral forest area a week prior to the attack, indicating advance preparation and reconnaissance near Baisaran, the eventual site of the assault. Sulaiman had a militant history, having participated in the April 2023 Poonch Army truck attack, but remained dormant until this event.
Indian investigators have thus far confirmed only Sulaiman’s direct involvement; other suspected Pakistani terrorists like Hashim Musa and Ali Bhai have not been definitively linked. There is also no credible evidence implicating local militant Adil Hussain Thoker as a facilitator.
Two locals from Pahalgam, Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar, were arrested for providing basic support—food, shelter, and logistics—to the attackers in exchange for a modest sum. They insist they were unaware of the planned large-scale attack on tourists.
The attack itself was meticulously targeted: the squad entered the tourist-heavy Baisaran meadow armed with M4 carbines and AK-47s, asked tourists to identify their religion, and proceeded to kill Hindu men, along with one Christian tourist and a local Muslim who tried to intervene.
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The level of brutality and forethought—separating victims by religion, sparing some as living witnesses—further evidences a well-planned, ideologically-driven assault with the aim of terrorizing non-local visitors.
The scope of active militants in Kashmir at the time of reporting included about 68 foreign terrorists and only three locals, further bolstering claims that the Pahalgam attack was devised, directed, and executed almost wholly by elements from across the border.
After the attack, India accused Pakistan of state-backed terror, leading to a significant diplomatic crisis, cross-border escalation, and even active military engagements in the region. The Pahalgam incident remains the deadliest attack on Indian civilians since Mumbai 2008 and a stark illustration of complex, cross-border terror logistics allegedly sanctioned at the highest levels in Pakistan.
Based On TOI Report
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