More than a year after the 2025 Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 civilians, fresh details have emerged from the 1,597-page chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
According to the chargesheet, the three terrorists involved in the attack had lunch under a tree shortly before opening fire on civilians at Baisaran Valley. The NIA said the attack was part of a larger conspiracy traced back to Pakistan.
The agency named seven accused in the case — Sajid Jatt from Pakistan's Kasur, the three attackers Faisal Jatt alias Suleman, Habeeb Tahir alias Jibran Bhai and Hamza Afghani, local residents Bashir Ahmad Jothar and Parvaiz Ahmad, along with Lashkar-e-Taiba and The Resistance Front. They have been charged with murder, waging war against India, and offences under the Arms Act and the UAPA.
All three attackers were later killed in an encounter with security forces on July 28 last year. The NIA also named LeT chief Hafeez Saeed and TRF head Habibullah Malik alias Sajid Jatt for allegedly orchestrating and facilitating the April 22 attack.
Investigators recovered two mobile phones from the terrorists, which allegedly contained chats with Sajid Jatt directing the attackers and screenshots from the Alpine Quest app showing coordinates near Baisaran Park. The phones were reportedly sold in Pakistan, based on data obtained from Xiaomi India.
The chargesheet further revealed that a day before the attack, the terrorists visited a local resident's hut near Baisaran. Parvaiz Ahmad told investigators that his maternal uncle Bashir Ahmad Jothar brought the armed men to the hut on April 21. The terrorists allegedly asked for water, saying they had travelled a long distance, and spoke Urdu with a Punjabi accent.
Parvaiz said the men referred to themselves as Mujahids and claimed they were fighting "jihad for the freedom of Kashmiri Muslims". The family allegedly served them tea and food, while the attackers asked for rotis to be packed before leaving around 10 pm. Parvaiz Ahmad and Bashir Ahmad Jothar were later arrested for allegedly harbouring the terrorists.
On the morning of the attack, the terrorists were seen near Baisaran Valley. Before entering the park, they reportedly sat under a tree and ate lunch. Later, they covered themselves with blankets and positioned themselves strategically around the valley to monitor civilian movement.
The NIA said one of the terrorists wore a GoPro camera while entering the park by crossing a fence. At 2:23 pm, one attacker fired the first shot using an M4 carbine, while the other two opened fire with AK-47 rifles from different positions near dhabas and a slope area.
According to the chargesheet, the attackers deliberately turned the central meadow into a "kill zone" to maximise civilian casualties. While fleeing, they allegedly shot civilians hiding behind trees and stopped another man on the escape route, asking him to recite the 'kalma' before letting him go.
The chargesheet also stated that the terrorists fired celebratory rounds while escaping, which investigators described as evidence of "lack of remorse and continued adherence to their terror objective."
