The deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead is now believed to be the handiwork of Hashim Musa, a Pakistani terrorist with a military background. Investigating agencies have identified him as a former para commando in Pakistan’s Special Forces, now working for terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). His involvement, and links to earlier attacks, is being seen as fresh proof of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) playing a role in orchestrating targeted strikes on non-local civilians in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources say Hashim Musa’s training with Pakistan’s elite Special Service Group (SSG) makes him an especially dangerous asset. These forces are rigorously trained in guerrilla tactics, endurance, and covert operations, equipping him with skills to sustain in hostile environments and execute highly planned terror missions. Officials believe Hashim Musa was “loaned” by the SSG to LeT to spearhead sensitive operations across the Kashmir Valley.
Sketches released by J&K Police after the Pahalgam attack included Hashim Musa, along with two others — Ali Bhai alias Talha, and Adil Hussain Thokar, a local from the Valley. Officials say the group specifically targeted non-local tourists, echoing a chilling pattern in previous attacks.
Involvement in earlier terror attacks
According to sources, Hashim Musa is also suspected of involvement in two other major terror incidents from October 2024. The first occurred in Gagangir, Ganderbal, where six non-local labourers and a doctor were killed. The second took place in Buta Pathri, Baramulla, resulting in the deaths of two Army personnel and two porters. These attacks had initially seemed disconnected but now appear linked by Hashim Musa’s presence and role.
Security forces had once nearly cornered Hashim Musa in an encounter in Sopore, but he managed to escape. His operational links with other Pakistan-trained terrorists like Arbaaz Mir and Junaid Bhat further expose the cross-border web. Both men, trained in Pakistan after fleeing in 2018, returned to the Valley and were involved in a series of killings before being neutralised in late 2024.
Arbaaz Mir was killed in Anantnag alongside Zahid Rashid, while Junaid was eliminated in December in Dachigam. He had been part of civilian killings in Gagangir and other terror strikes. These findings, say investigators, point to a broader ISI-backed network operating through well-trained infiltrators like Hashim Musa, now at the centre of the latest Pahalgam tragedy.
