Overview

• Sheikh Sajjad Gul, head of Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy The Resistance Front (TRF), has been identified as the planner of the April 22 Pahalgam attack.
• The attack targeted tourists in Pahalgam, killing 26 people, including a local guide, with victims shot at point-blank range after being questioned about their religion.
• Investigators traced communications directly linking Gul to the planning and execution of the attack, which the TRF publicly claimed responsibility for.
• Gul, a former MBA graduate from Bangalore, operates from Rawalpindi, Pakistan, under ISI protection, and has been involved in several terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir since 2020.
• The National Investigation Agency designated Gul a terrorist in 2022, placing a Rs 10 lakh bounty on him, while his brother is alleged to fund terror networks from Gulf countries.