Security forces have conclusively identified the three Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives killed during Operation Mahadev on the outskirts of Srinagar as Pakistani nationals responsible for the April 22 Pahalgam massacre. The terrorists—Suleman Shah (alias Faizal Jatt), Abu Hamza (alias Afghan), and Yasir (alias Jibran)—had been hiding in the Dachigam-Harwan forest belt since the attack that left 26 civilians dead.
Documentary Proof of Nationality
Investigators recovered laminated voter slips issued by Pakistan’s Election Commission from Shah and Hamza, bearing constituencies in Lahore (NA-125) and Gujranwala (NA-79). A micro-SD card extracted from a damaged satellite phone yielded direct data from Pakistan’s NADRA database—fingerprints, facial scans, familial records, and addresses in Changa Manga (Kasur district) and Koiyan village (PoK)—unequivocally proving their citizenship.
Forensic Corroboration
Ballistic analysis matched 7.62×39 mm cartridge casings found at the Pahalgam attack site to the three AK-103 rifles seized on July 28. DNA from blood stains on a torn shirt recovered at Baisaran further matched mitochondrial profiles of the three slain gunmen. Additional corroborative items included wrappers of Karachi-made “CandyLand” and “ChocoMax” chocolates, whose lot numbers traced back to consignments sent to Muzaffarabad in May 2024.
Infiltration and Command Network
Intelligence intercepts confirmed the trio’s infiltration via the Gurez sector in May 2022. GPS logs from a Garmin device—found on Shah—aligned precisely with eyewitness reports of militant firing positions during the massacre. A Huawei satellite phone (IMEI 86761204-XXXXXX) used by the cell routinely pinged the Inmarsat-4 F1 satellite between April 22 and July 25, narrowing their hideout to a four-square-kilometre zone in Harwan forest.
Officials have linked the operatives to LeT’s south Kashmir chief Sajid Saifullah Jatt, whose recorded voice matched intercepted communications from the recovered satellite phone. In the wake of the July 28 encounter, LeT’s Rawalakot commander, Rizwan Anees, conducted Ghaibana Namaz-e-Janaza (funeral prayers in absentia) for the three militants on July 29, footage of which has been added to India’s official case dossier.
This multi-layered proof—combining documentary, forensic, and electronic evidence—marks the first time Indian authorities have secured government-issued Pakistani documents to definitively establish the nationality of terrorists involved in a major civilian massacre.
