Who Is Saifullah Sajid Jutt, the Alleged Mastermind of Pahalgam Terror Attack?

Pahalgam Terror Attack: In one of the deadliest terror strikes to hit Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370, terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists in the Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam, killing at least 28 people, including two foreign nationals. The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the proscribed Pakistan -based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the carnage. While Asif Fauji is said to have led the group, the attack is believed to have been masterminded by Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Saifullah Sajid Jutt. 

Who Is Saifullah Sajid Jutt?

Saifullah Sajid Jutt, also referred to as Saifullah Kasuri, is a senior commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a United Nations-designated terrorist organisation. Based in Islamabad, Jutt is considered a close aide of LeT founder Hafiz Saeed. Known by the alias Khalid, he has long operated within LeT's upper echelons and is believed to have played a pivotal role in planning and directing terrorist operations targeting Indian soil.

According to security agencies, the Pahalgam attack was not a random outburst of violence but a deliberately planned and coldly executed operation. Terrorists reportedly remained in hiding, choosing their moment to inflict maximum casualties. The timing of the attack, coinciding with high-profile visits by U.S. Vice President JD Vance to India and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's trip to Saudi Arabia, has raised further concerns about its strategic intent.

Saifullah’s Terror Network 

Saifullah Jutt heads LeT’s operations from its Peshawar headquarters and has held senior roles in affiliated organisations, including Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), which has also been sanctioned by both the U.S. Department of State and the United Nations as an alias of LeT.

In 2017, Saifullah was introduced as the president of the Milli Muslim League (MML), the political arm of JuD. During an August 8 press conference that year, he publicly discussed MML’s formation and its objectives, revealing the group's strategy to push LeT’s radical agenda under the guise of political legitimacy.

Global Sanctions and Designations

Both Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamaat-ud-Dawa have been formally designated as terrorist entities under various international frameworks. The U.S. Treasury Department listed JuD as an alias of LeT in 2016 under Executive Order 13224. Moreover, in December 2008, following the Mumbai attacks, the United Nations added JuD to the UN Security Council's 1267/1988 Sanctions List, affirming its operational and ideological ties to LeT.

The Resistance Front: A Post-Article 370 Outfit

The Resistance Front, which claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam killings, emerged after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. The move ended Jammu and Kashmir's special constitutional status, aimed at complete integration with the Union of India. While militant activity had seen a decline since then, TRF's rise indicates attempts by LeT and its affiliates to rebrand and sustain cross-border militancy in the region.