NIA names LeT founder Hafiz Saeed as accused in Pahalgam terror attack

Hafiz Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, has been named as an accused for his role in the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack. File Image | Photo credit: Reuters

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday (July 6, 2026) filed charges against Hafiz Saeed, the chief and founder of the Pakistani terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its proxy The Resistance Front (TRF), in the Pahalgam terror attack case. 26 civilians were killed in the attack on 22 April 2025.

An NIA spokesperson said a supplementary charge sheet has been filed in the special NIA court in Jammu.

“The accused has been charged under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, 2023 and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The NIA has also invoked the penal section against the accused for waging war against India and conspiracy abroad in the charge sheet,” the NIA said.

How are terrorists defined under the UAPA? | Explained

The chargesheet, filed in continuation of the original 1,597-page chargesheet, contained details of the Pakistani conspiracy, Saeed’s role and supporting evidence collected by the NIA in the case “through careful scientific investigation and field investigation”.

The NIA filed the original chargesheet on 15 December 2025. It then accused Pakistani terrorist Sajid Jatt as an accused along with three terrorists who were killed by security forces during Operation Mahadev in July 2025.

In addition, the two arrested accused, civilians who allegedly provided logistics to the attackers, were named in the previous indictment.

The NIA charged LeT and TRF as legal entities for their “role in planning, facilitating and executing the Pahalgam terror attack”.

Immediately after last year’s attack, a First Information Report was registered by the Pahalgam police station in Anantnag. After an initial investigation by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the case was handed over to the NIA by the Union Home Ministry.

“The NIA is continuing its investigation into the case to uncover the complete conspiracy of Pakistan, which is actively sponsoring terrorism in Indian territory from across the border,” the agency said.

Published – 06 Jul 2026 15:45 IST