A long-running terrorist organisation in Jammu and Kashmir has gained prominence as a result of the terrorist strike in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives. The government has launched high-level diplomatic and security reactions against Pakistan, which has been accused of harbouring the terrorist group’s handlers and backers, in response to this terror attack, which is among the deadliest since Article 370 was repealed in 2019.
Under the leadership of 26/11 mastermind and Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed, the attack was executed by a group linked with the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror organisation, which was mostly composed of international terrorists with assistance from local militants and overground workers from the Valley.
This specific module has reportedly been operational in the Kashmir Valley for a considerable amount of time. Security services suspect it of being responsible for a number of well-publicized attacks in the area, such as those in Sonamarg, Boota Pathri, and Ganderbal. Two members of the Indian Army were among the four people murdered in a terror attack at Boota Pathri in October 2024. Six labourers and a doctor were shot dead in a violent attack on tunnel construction workers in Sonamarg that same month. One of the primary suspects in the Pahalgam massacre, Hashim Musa, is thought to be involved in this assault.
A significant player in the module, Junaid Ahmed Bhatt, an A+ category Lashkar terrorist from Kulgam, was eliminated in an encounter in Dachigam in December 2024, following the Sonamarg massacre. Other group members were able to flee and scattered into neighbouring wooded areas. These terrorists usually go underground after a significant attack and hide in places deep within forests until they get new orders from their commanders in Pakistan.
According to reports, Lashkar commander Hafiz Saeed and his deputy Saifullah, who are both allegedly based in Pakistan, have direct authority over the module. According to Indian intelligence services, Pakistan’s military and its intelligence organisation, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), provide the module with tactical, logistical, and ideological direction. The bulk of the group’s members are foreign combatants, but there are also a few of Kashmiri natives and overground labourers who are integrated into the group to offer cover and assistance.
Terrorists attacked three different sites in the Baisaran valley during the Pahalgam incident. Five individuals were slain at one spot, two were shot dead in an open field, and others were targeted close to a fence encircling the valley, according to police sources. Those who were able to escape by jumping over the fencing were not hurt. According to survivors, the assailants even had brief discussions with them before shooting.
Three suspects connected to the Pahalgam attack were sketched by the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday. Hashim Musa, also known as Suleman, and Ali Bhai, also known as Talha, are both citizens of Pakistan. The third, Abdul Hussain Thokar, lives in Kashmir’s Anantnag. The third, Abdul Hussain Thokar, lives in Kashmir’s Anantnag. A financial reward of Rs 20 lakh has been offered by the police for reliable information that results in their capture. On Thursday, security personnel also discovered the module’s hiding place in neighbouring forests.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called an emergency meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday. A number of punitive actions were declared by the group, which included senior military and intelligence officials, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
With effect from May 1, both India and Pakistan will cut the number of employees in their diplomatic missions from 55 to 30. All air defence, naval, and military personnel at the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi have been ordered to leave India within a week after being declared persona non grata. Additionally, Indian advisors in Islamabad will be removed. The SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme has been suspended for Pakistani nationals, with all existing visas revoked. Pakistani citizens in India under this scheme must exit the country within 48 hours. The Attari-Wagah land border crossing has been closed indefinitely. Pakistanis currently in India have until May 1 to return.
