India’s National Investigation Agency has formally charged two Pakistan based militant groups and six individuals over a deadly April assault on tourists in Indian administered Kashmir that left 26 men dead and pushed India and Pakistan into their most serious military confrontation in decades.
The charges, filed on Monday before a special court in Jammu, mark the first legal action tied to the attack in Pahalgam and deepen New Delhi’s claims that the violence was directed from across the border. Pakistan has repeatedly denied any involvement.
According to the agency, Pakistan based Lashkar e Taiba and its offshoot The Resistance Front were responsible for planning, facilitating, and carrying out the attack on Hindu tourists in the scenic Pahalgam area. The NIA said the case file runs to 1,597 pages and is the result of an eight month investigation that traced the conspiracy to Pakistan.
The April shooting triggered intense cross border fighting between the nuclear armed neighbors, with artillery fire and air strikes reported along the Line of Control. The escalation was described by analysts as the most serious flare up since the early 2000s.
Three Pakistani nationals who were killed by Indian security forces during Operation Mahadev in July in Srinagar were charged posthumously, the agency said. Two other suspects already in Indian custody were also named, along with a man accused of acting as a Pakistan based handler.
In a statement, the NIA said the accused had been charged with waging war against India and coordinating attacks aimed at destabilizing the region. Reuters reported that a spokesperson for Pakistan’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
New Delhi has long accused militant groups operating from Pakistan of orchestrating attacks in Kashmir, a Himalayan region claimed in full by both countries but controlled in part by each. Islamabad rejects the accusations and says it supports only political and diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute.
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The Pahalgam attack reignited fears of a wider conflict, prompting diplomatic outreach by international partners urging restraint. While the fighting subsided after several days, relations between the two countries remain strained.
Indian officials say the case will now proceed through the courts, even as security forces continue counter militancy operations in the region. The outcome could shape future diplomatic and security responses in one of South Asia’s most volatile flashpoints.