Srinagar: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has submitted its chargesheet in the Pahalgam terror attack case, in which 26 civilians were killed on April 22, 2025. According to the NIA's findings, cross-border drones successfully dropped arms and ammunition deep inside Kashmir's Baramulla district without detection.
The exhaustive NIA probe has tracked the pre-attack movements of the terrorists who struck the popular Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam in 2025.
Security experts analysing the chargesheet pointed to a critical decline in human intelligence gathering between 2022 and 2024 as a primary reason the terror cell was able to move freely through the Valley undetected.
The investigators also observed a worrying shift in the logistics of terrorism in the region. Rather than relying solely on traditional, heavily guarded infiltration routes along the Line of Control (LoC), handlers from across the border are increasingly deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the probe team noted.
Officials added that these drones managed to penetrate deep into the hinterland, bypassing multi-layered security cordons to deliver weapons, explosives and funds directly to terror cells operating in north Kashmir's Baramulla district.
The Gogal Dara forests, located in Baramulla district, are believed to have become a hotspot for drone drops because they are within line of sight from across the border.
While the chargesheet has meticulously charted how the attackers embedded themselves within the local landscape before striking the tourist hub, it has also sparked a debate among security analysts regarding structural blind spots.
Experts argue that an over-reliance on technical intelligence, at the expense of cultivating local, ground-level human intelligence (HUMINT) networks during the 2022-2024 period, created an operational vacuum. This deficit, they believe, allowed the perpetrators to scout targets, receive aerial weapon drops and execute the high-profile strike without triggering early warning systems.
In the chargesheet, the NIA said the terror group received a drone drop in the Gogal Dara forest in early 2024 containing 20 pistols, ₹15 lakh in cash and triangular-shaped bombs (Chinese grenades).
Experts believe terror groups have been using higher ridges as safe havens and suggest that security forces should review their tactics and regain the trust of the Gujjar and Bakerwal nomadic tribes, considered the "eyes and ears" of the mountains.
Growing mistrust between the security forces and the two communities has proved detrimental to maintaining security, especially in the Pir Panjal ranges. The Gujjar and Bakerwal communities, with a combined population of around 23 lakh, have been crucial collaborators with the security forces for decades due to their deep knowledge of the rugged terrain and unwavering loyalty — key factors in rolling back insurgency, particularly in the Jammu region.
The setback to human intelligence gathering came during 2022-23 when many local sources were abandoned, resulting in deficiencies in the intelligence network and weakening communication channels. Experts and officials believe this jeopardised a partnership that had long been essential to regional security.
The NIA chargesheet gives a detailed account of the movements of the terrorists involved in the Baisaran attack, suggesting they travelled through mountainous terrain and urban areas without attracting attention — a point that security experts attribute largely to the decline in human intelligence gathering.
