Investigations into the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 civilians dead, have revealed strong links between the perpetrators and Pakistan, according to top intelligence sources. Evidence ranging from Pakistani voter ID cards and satellite phone logs to chocolate wrappers and DNA samples has established the identity and origin of the terrorists involved.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier stated in Parliament that the attackers were confirmed to be Pakistani nationals. Now, Indian security agencies have backed this claim with forensic, documentary, and testimonial evidence collected during and after Operation Mahadev.
The three terrorists—identified as:
- Suleman Shah (alias Faizal Jatt, an A++ commander and mastermind),
- Abu Hamza (alias Afghan, an A- commander),
- Yasi (alias Jibran, A- commander and rear guard),
—were senior operatives of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). They had been operating from the Dachigam-Harwan forest belt in Jammu & Kashmir and had no local Kashmiri accomplices in the shooting team.
Conclusive Evidence Linking Attackers to Pakistan
- Pakistani Government Documents: Two laminated voter slips from the Election Commission of Pakistan were found on Suleman and Hamza. The voter IDs corresponded to Lahore (NA-125) and Gujranwala (NA-79) constituencies.
- NADRA-linked Smart ID Chips: A micro-SD card from a satellite phone contained biometric data, including fingerprints and facial scans, confirming Pakistani citizenship and addresses in Changa Manga (Kasur) and Rawalakot (PoK).
- Karachi-Made Chocolates: Chocolate wrappers from Karachi found in their rucksack were traced to a May 2024 batch sent to Muzaffarabad, PoK.
- GPS & Ballistic Match: GPS logs from one attacker matched firing positions at the attack site. Shell casings from the scene matched AK-103 rifles recovered on July 28.
- DNA Match: Mitochondrial DNA from a blood-stained shirt at the site matched all three slain terrorists.
- Satellite Phone Records: The phone used by the group pinged Inmarsat-4 F1 daily from April 22 to July 25, narrowing their hideout to a 4 sq km area in Harwan forest.
- Terror Command Links: Voice samples confirmed Sajid Saifullah Jatt, LeT’s south Kashmir operations chief based in Lahore, as the handler. Rizwan Anees, LeT chief in Rawalakot, even held funeral prayers without bodies (ghibana namaz) for the attackers on July 29.
The attackers crossed the LoC near Gurez, checked in via radio from the Pakistani side, and stayed at a seasonal hut near Baisaran on April 21, aided by two detained Kashmiri helpers. They then carried out the brutal shooting at Baisaran on April 22, targeting mostly Hindu tourists, before fleeing toward Dachigam, where they were later neutralised by Indian security forces on July 28.
The extensive trail of evidence, officials say, now forms part of a comprehensive Indian dossier to be used in diplomatic outreach and possible global forums.