Who is Saifullah Kasuri, alleged mastermind behind Pahalgam terror attack
What's the story
Saifullah Kasuri alias Khalid is suspected to be the mastermind behind a recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.
The incident happened on April 22 at Bisaran meadow and claimed the lives of 27 innocent civilians.
The Resistance Front (TRF), a faction of the banned Pakistan-based terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for this attack.
Allegations
Pakistan's involvement in Pahalgam attack
Security officials see this attack as part of a larger Pakistani conspiracy: a new phase in its persistent terror campaign ahead of the Amarnath Yatra.
According to officials, the terrorist group has changed tactics and is now forming smaller strike teams to attack civilians.
Kasuri's name has now emerged as one of the key conspirators behind this deadly incident.
Terrorist profile
Kasuri's role in the attack
Kasuri is an LeT veteran who reportedly moved up the ranks by masterminding several cross-border terror strikes.
His links with the outfit's ideological and logistical top brass, especially Hafiz Saeed, are well established by reports of international intelligence agencies.
He is also the leader of Peshawar's LeT headquarters and formerly served on the Coordination Committee of Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD).
Designated an alias of LeT by the Department of State, JuD is a member of the United Nations Sanctions list.
Additional suspects
Other suspects in the Pahalgam attack
Apart from Kasuri, two Rawalkot-based Lashkar-e-Taiba commanders are also under the scanner. One of them is Abu Musa.
Musa referred to the abrogation of Article 370 and a bid to change the demography of Kashmir to call for attacks in the valley just days before the Pahalgam attack.
He heads the Jammu Kashmir United Movement (JKUM).
Reportedly, five or six terrorists were involved in the Pahalgam attack, some of whom had recently infiltrated into India from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).