New Delhi, July 28 – The role of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, has been further exposed after Indian security forces eliminated the key mastermind, Sulaiman, during ‘Operation Mahadev’.
Sulaiman, also known as Hashim Moosa, was an ex-Pakistan Army commando and a senior Lashkar-e-Tayiba (LeT) operative. He was killed along with two other terrorists, Abu Hamza and Yasir, in an intense gunfight led by CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police in the Dachigam area. “Three terrorists have been neutralised in an intense firefight. Operation continues,” the Chinar Corps stated on X.
Investigations reveal that Sulaiman had been specifically deployed by the ISI to oversee the Pahalgam massacre because of his expertise and military training. He had entered the Kashmir Valley in 2022 after training at Lashkar’s Muridke headquarters.
The Pahalgam attack was a meticulously planned operation, executed exclusively by Pakistani terrorists to maintain complete secrecy. Sajid Jutt, another Lashkar handler, had been tasked by the ISI to select Pakistani operatives and avoid local recruits.
While some locals were arrested for providing food and shelter, investigations found that they had no knowledge of the plot.
Sulaiman was reportedly seen in the Tral forests a week before the April 22 strike. He was also linked to the April 2023 ambush in Poonch that killed five soldiers.
Following the massacre, India launched Operation Sindoor, striking Lashkar’s Muridke training camp.
Officials say the attack aimed to destabilise Kashmir, create communal tension, and derail tourism growth after the abrogation of Article 370.
The success of Operation Mahadev is seen as a major blow to ISI-backed terror networks in Jammu and Kashmir. Security forces continue combing operations in Dachigam to ensure the area is cleared.
