Srinagar, May 5, 2025 — The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has unearthed chilling details in its probe into the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives. The agency strongly suspects the involvement of the banned Al Umar Mujahideen, led by notorious terrorist Mustaq Ahmed Zargar, in orchestrating the brutal assault. “The attack bears the hallmarks of Zargar’s network, with local operatives providing critical support,” an NIA source revealed, underscoring the group’s role in aiding terrorists on the ground.

Zargar, 52, a key figure in the 1999 Indian Airlines IC-814 hijacking, was released alongside Masood Azhar and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh in exchange for passengers. Once a member of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, he trained in Pakistan and now operates from there, maintaining influence over a network of overground workers in the Valley. The NIA has seized his Srinagar property and intensified scrutiny of his organization, banned in India since 2023. Recent raids across Kashmir, targeting over 100 local supporters, have yielded confessions linking Zargar’s group to the attack’s planning, with operatives admitting to providing logistical aid to attackers.

The NIA’s investigation, now spanning Srinagar to Poonch, has seen over 2,800 individuals questioned and 150 detained. The agency is also probing connections to other banned outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, with evidence pointing to a broader terror ecosystem. “We’re dismantling their network piece by piece,” an NIA official stated, emphasizing the crackdown’s intensity. As tensions with Pakistan escalate, the agency’s findings, including Zargar’s alleged coordination from across the border, have heightened calls for decisive action against terror sponsors.