NIA names LeT, offshoot TRF in Pahalgam case charge sheet

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday filed a charge sheet against terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), its proxy The Resistance Front (TRF), and others in connection with the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, detailing conspiracy by Pakistan and roles of the accused nearly eight months after the incident that had brought India and Pakistan to the brink of a full-scale war.

- Neeraj Chauhan and Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

The 1,597-page charge sheet, filed before a special NIA court in Jammu, named seven accused, including Sajid Jatt, a Pakistan based commander of TRF and a close aide of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed. An NIA spokesperson said Jatt supervised the Pahalgam terror attack —which involved religion based targeted killings of 25 tourists and one local civilian — and was also behind a majority of targeted attacks carried out by TRF on non-Kashmiri civilians in Jammu and Kashmir since 2021.

“The charge sheet, which details Pakistan's conspiracy, roles of the accused, and supporting evidence in the case, has charged the banned LeT/TRF as a legal entity for its role in planning, facilitating, and executing the Pahalgam attack,” the spokesperson said.