According to security agency sources, Saifullah Sajid Jatt, a Pakistan-based operative of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) affiliate, The Resistance Front (TRF), has been identified as the mastermind behind the recent surge in terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
Jatt, a "hardcore terrorist" according to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), hails from Shangamanga village in Pakistan's Punjab province and carries a ₹10 lakh bounty on his head.
Sources indicate that he operates from a base camp in Islamabad, where he resides with his wife, who is of Indian origin. Previously active in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, Jatt now oversees LeT's recruitment efforts and facilitates the infiltration of terrorists into India.
Considered an operational commander of LeT, Jatt also manages the group's terror funding. He is currently on the NIA's most wanted list. Security agencies believe he maintains contact with an individual named Qasim in Jammu and Kashmir and are actively searching for him. Jatt is suspected of orchestrating several terror attacks in the valley over the past few years.
In recent months, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a series of terror attacks. Last month, nine people were killed when terrorists opened fire on a bus carrying pilgrims, causing it to plunge into a gorge in Reasi district.
Days later, two armed terrorists attacked a village, resulting in a gunfight with security forces that left a CRPF personnel and the terrorists dead. Additionally, five terrorists were killed in separate encounters with security forces in Kulgam district over the past two days, resulting in the deaths of two soldiers.
This surge in violence comes amidst the ongoing Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage, raising concerns about the security situation in the region. Authorities are actively working to identify and neutralize the remaining threat posed by Jatt and his network.
