Three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists involved in the Pahalgam massacre have been confirmed as Pakistani nationals, with recovered government IDs, biometric data, and forensic evidence linking them directly to the April 22 attack that killed 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
The terrorists—identified as Suleman Shah alias Faizal Jatt, Abu Hamza alias Afghan, and Yasir alias Jibran—were killed by Indian security forces in ‘Operation Mahadev’ on July 28 in the Dachigam-Harwan forest area near Srinagar.
Security forces recovered Pakistani voter slips from Suleman Shah and Abu Hamza, with serial numbers matching electoral rolls in Lahore (NA-125) and Gujranwala (NA-79).
Additionally, biometric data retrieved from a damaged sat-phone matched entries in Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), confirming their citizenship and home addresses in Changa Manga (Kasur district) and Koiyan village near Rawalakot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Other recovered items included snack wrappers from Karachi-based brands “Candyland” and “Chocomax,” with lot numbers linked to a consignment dispatched to Muzaffarabad in May 2024. Extra ammunition and survival supplies were also found.
The trio is believed to have crossed the Line of Control (LoC) in May 2022 via the Gurez sector. On April 21, 2025, they were sheltered overnight in a hut near Hill Park, close to Baisaran Valley, by two local Kashmiris—Parvaiz and Bashir Ahmad Jothar—who later confessed to providing food and shelter.
On April 22, the terrorists moved to Baisaran meadow and carried out the brutal attack on civilians before fleeing toward the Dachigam forests.
GPS data from Suleman Shah’s Garmin device matched eyewitness accounts and firing positions. Ballistics testing confirmed that shell casings from the scene matched three AK-103 rifles recovered during Operation Mahadev. DNA analysis also matched blood from a torn shirt found at the site to the deceased terrorists.
A sat-phone used by the group had been pinging the Inmarsat-4 F1 satellite nightly from April 22 to July 25. This data helped pinpoint their hideout within a 4 sq km area in the Harwan forest.
The overall handler was identified as Sajid Saifullah Jatt, LeT’s south Kashmir operations chief and a resident of Changa Manga, Lahore. His voice matched samples from the recovered sat-phone.
Another senior figure, Rizwan Anees, LeT’s Rawalakot commander, reportedly visited the families of the deceased on July 29 and led funeral prayers (“Ghaibana namaz”)—a video of which is now part of India’s official dossier.
Initial sketches released by J&K Police after the Pahalgam attack—showing suspects Hashim Musa, Ali Bhai alias Talha, and local Adil Hussain Thoker—were later found to be unrelated.
According to the NIA, these images were retrieved from a mobile phone linked to a separate incident in December 2024.
This operation and its findings highlight the continued infiltration and direct involvement of Pakistan-based terror outfits in orchestrating attacks on Indian soil, with mounting digital and physical evidence supporting India’s claims.
