Indian security agencies on Monday, 4 August 2025, confirmed the nationality of the three terrorists killed in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, stating that all three were Pakistani nationals and senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives. Officials said conclusive evidence, including government-issued Pakistani documents, biometric records, and communication logs, links the operatives directly to the April 22 attack in Baisaran meadow, Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives.
The trio was killed in a gunfight on 28 July 2025 during Operation Mahadev in the Dachigam forest area near Srinagar, where they had been hiding since the attack. Security officials confirmed that no local militants were involved in the operation, and two Kashmiri men have been arrested for aiding the infiltrators.
A senior official told Times of India that, “For the first time, we have in our possession official documents issued by the Government of Pakistan that clearly establish the identity and nationality of the attackers involved in the Pahalgam massacre.”
Identities Confirmed via Official Documents and Biometric Records
The three militants have been identified as:
- Suleman Shah alias ‘Faizal Jatt’ – classified as an “A++” category terrorist, and believed to be the lead shooter and mastermind of the attack.
- Abu Hamza alias ‘Afghan’ – an “A-grade” LeT commander and second gunman.
- Yasir alias ‘Jibran’ – also an “A-grade” commander and the third gunman involved.
From the possession of Shah and Hamza, forces recovered laminated voter slips issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan, which were linked to electoral rolls in Lahore (NA-125) and Gujranwala (NA-79). Additionally, a damaged satellite phone recovered from the scene yielded biometric data sourced from Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), including fingerprints, facial scans, and familial links, further verifying their Pakistani origin.
Authorities also recovered wrappers of Pakistani-manufactured chocolates such as CandyLand and ChocoMax, traced back to a May 2024 consignment sent to Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). DNA recovered from the Pahalgam site matched the bodies of the deceased terrorists, and AK-103 rifles seized during the Dachigam encounter were confirmed as the same weapons used in the April 22 massacre.
Satellite phone logs indicated frequent communication with handlers in Pakistan, and voice analysis has identified Sajid Saifullah Jatt, LeT’s south Kashmir operations chief, as the principal coordinator. Intelligence also confirms that Rizwan Anees, LeT’s Rawalakot chief, visited the families of the deceased attackers on 29 July 2025 to organise a Ghaibana Namaz-e-Janaza (funeral prayers in absentia).
Investigators believe the militants infiltrated India via Gurez sector in north Kashmir in May 2022. Two Kashmiri men – Parvaiz and Bashir Ahmad Jothar – have been arrested for providing shelter to the militants before the April attack. GPS data from seized equipment has been matched with firing positions described by survivors of the Pahalgam incident.
Authorities said that all collected evidence will form part of an official dossier to be shared with the international community, underscoring Pakistan’s direct involvement in orchestrating the terror attack.
(With inputs from Times of India)
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