Pahalgam Terror Attack: The NIA has announced a reward of ₹10 lakh on Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Sajid Jatt. The NIA had requested an additional 45 days to complete the investigation.

The NIA filed a charge sheet in the Pahalgam terror attack case in a special NIA court in Jammu on Monday (December 15, 2025) . It named Lashkar-e- Taiba terrorist Sajid Jatt as the mastermind of the attack . The NIA has announced a reward of ₹1 million for Sajid Jatt .

The chargesheet was to be filed by December 18.

Two residents of the Pahalgam area, Bashir Ahmed Jothar and Parvez Ahmed Jothar, were arrested on June 22, 2025. The two men are accused of harboring and providing logistical support to three Pakistani terrorists, Suleman Shah, Hamza Afghani alias Afghani, and Jibran, who carried out the attack. The 180-day deadline for filing a chargesheet expires on December 18, and the agency filed the chargesheet in court on December 15, within the stipulated deadline.

The NIA had requested an additional 45 days to complete the investigation, beyond the initial 90-day period, which the court granted. The involvement of Pakistan-based terrorists affiliated with the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba in carrying out the attack was previously confirmed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament.

Who is Lashkar's top commander Sajid Jatt?

In its charge sheet, the NIA has named Sajid, a top Lashkar -e-Taiba commander , as the mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack . Sajid 's full name is Saifullah Sajid Jatt . He is a resident of Kasur district in Pakistan's Punjab state. Saifullah is considered the most dynamic commander of Lashkar-e- Taiba , the third-in-command within the organization after Hafiz Saeed .

Sajid is the chief of The Resistance Front ( TRF), a proxy organization of Lashkar-e -Taiba (LeT). This organization carries out terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. It was this TRF that carried out the Pahalgam terror attack. The government banned the TRF under the UAPA in 2023. Furthermore, the NIA has announced a reward of ₹10 lakh on Saifullah .

NIA questioned more than a thousand people

The NIA has so far questioned over 1,000 people, including tourists, pony owners, photographers, shopkeepers, and employees. The NIA informed the court that further forensic reports, mobile phone data analysis, and verification of additional suspects are underway to establish the full extent of the terrorist network and the role of overground workers.

When did the Pahalgam terrorist attack take place?

On April 22, 2025, a terrorist attack occurred against tourists in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Armed terrorists targeted Hindus after asking them about their religion and reciting the Kalma. This brutal terrorist attack claimed the lives of 26 people, including one Nepali citizen and another from Jammu and Kashmir.  

The Pahalgam terror attack enraged the nation, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the armed forces full freedom to respond to the killings. Under Operation Sindoor , the Indian armed forces destroyed nine terrorist hideouts in Muridke, Bahawalpur, Kotli near Lahore inside Pakistan, and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.