Sheikh Sajjad Gul, identified as the mastermind behind the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, studied in Karnataka and Kerala before becoming involved with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) proxy, The Resistance Front (TRF), in Kashmir.Gul, also known as Sajjad Ahmed Sheikh, is reportedly hiding in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, under the protection of the LeT. He has been linked to several terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir, including targeted killings in Central and South Kashmir from 2020 to 2024, grenade attacks in Central Kashmir in 2023, and ambushes on J&K police personnel in Bijbehra, Gagangir, and the Z-Morh Tunnel in Ganderbal.Designated a terrorist by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in April 2022, Gul carries a Rs 10 lakh bounty. Investigators probing the Pahalgam attack have traced communication links back to him, confirming his involvement in orchestrating the attack. The TRF, which claimed responsibility for the massacre, is believed to have acted on his orders. According to officials, the terrorists interrogated tourists about their religion before shooting 25 of them at point-blank range. A local guide who attempted to protect the victims was also killed.Sources say Gul has been a key asset for Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI, acting as a Kashmiri front for the predominantly Punjabi-led LeT. He was educated in Srinagar, earned an MBA in Bangalore, and later pursued a lab technician course in Kerala. Upon returning to Kashmir, he set up a diagnostic lab, which he used to provide logistical support to the terror group.
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