 "The Jammu and Kashmir Police has released the sketches of foreigner terrorists Hashim Musa alias Sulaiman and Ali Bhai alias Talha Bhai and local terrorist Adil Hussain Thokar believed to be involved in the Pahalgam attack. (Photo: J&K Police)")
Hashim Musa, the Pakistani terrorist behind the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 innocent people, mostly tourists, was once a para commando in Pakistan’s special forces, The Times of India reported, citing investigators.
The latest findings have confirmed the direct involvement of the Pakistani Army and the ISI in the attack, reinforcing India’s earlier claims of cross-border links to the massacre.
Sources told TOI that Musa, now a key operative of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was sent to Jammu and Kashmir to carry out attacks on non-locals and security forces.
Highlighting the close ties between terrorist groups and Pakistan’s state agencies and military, a security official said, “It is possible that Pakistan’s special forces, like the Special Service Group (SSG), lent him to LeT.”
The Special Service Group (SSG) is known for its highly trained para-commandos, who specialise in unconventional warfare and covert operations. Their rigorous training emphasises physical conditioning, mental resilience, strategic planning, advanced weapon handling, hand-to-hand combat, and survival skills.
A senior officer told The Times of India that Musa’s military background — uncovered during the interrogation of 15 Kashmiri overground workers (OGWs) suspected of assisting the Pakistani attackers with logistics and reconnaissance — points directly to the ISI’s involvement in the Pahalgam attack and other earlier terror strikes in Kashmir.
These earlier attacks include the killings at Gagangir in Ganderbal in October 2024, where six non-locals and a doctor were murdered, and the attack at Buta Pathri in Baramulla, which left two army personnel and two army porters dead.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsMusa has emerged as the common link in all three attacks. Two other local terrorists, Junaid Ahmad Bhat and Arbaaz Mir — both trained in Pakistan — were also involved in the Gagangir and Buta Pathri attacks but were killed by security forces in separate encounters in November and December 2024.