Who is LeT terrorist Hashim Musa, involved in Pahalgam attack?

Believed to be in his late 20s, Musa, who is now a hardcore terrorist working with the Pakistan-based banned terrorist outfit Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT), has been dispatched by LeT masterminds to Kashmir to conduct terror attacks on non-locals and security forces.

So, who is Musa?

LeT operative loaned by Pakistan army

Musa was dismissed from the Pakistan Army, after which he joined the LeT, an organisation the Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif believes does not exist anymore.

Musa, who has been involved in at least three attacks on security forces and non-locals in 2024, according to intelligence officials, is believed to have entered India in September 2023 through the Kathua and Samba sector.

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In the past one and half years, he has been largely operating in Kashmir's Budgam district, near Srinagar.

However, sources told the media that Musa may have been asked by Pakistan Army’s Special Service Group (SSG) to join LeT and strengthen the terror outfit’s Kashmir operations.

It is possible that he was loaned by the special forces to the LeT, said a report in The Times of India, quoting intelligence sources.

Evading capture

Pakistani para-commandos, particularly those trained by the SSG, are known to be highly skilled in unconventional warfare, mountain combat and survival tactics. The terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack, who are on the run, are displaying a high degree of resilience and hardiness which indicates high level of military training, said sources to the media.

The terrorists have successfully evaded police and army patrols, continuously moving through dense mountain forests and avoiding contact with civilians. They are also steering clear of approaching villages for food to avoid being caught. Neither do they seem to be fatigued.

Role of Pakistan army and ISI

Also, the use of M4 carbines during the Pahalgam attack show the hand of a trained military person.

Musa’s SSG military background was revealed by one of the 14 Kashmiri Over Ground Workers (OGWs), who are currently being interrogated by investigators as suspects in the Pahalgam terror attack.

These OGWs are believed to have provided logistical support to the Pakistani terrorists and assisted in the reconnaissance of the terror site.

Also read: Pak minister’s confession on terror exposes country as rogue state: India at UN

The role of Pakistan Army and the ISI has become clear, said reports, since similar patterns were also observed in the October 2024 attacks in the Valley. In these attacks, 6 non-locals, a doctor, two Indian Army personnel and two Army porters were killed.

Collaborating with other terror outfits

Sources said that Pakistani terrorists Musa and Ali Bhai, along with the two locals Adil Thoker and Asif Shaikh, were directly involved in the Pahalgam terror attack. However, interrogation of OGWs, suggests the possibility of the involvement of more Pakistani terrorists.

Musa is also suspected of collaborating with other Pakistan-backed terror outfits operating in the Valley, apart from the Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The police have declared a reward of Rs 20 lakh for any information that can help to capture the terrorists.