Hashim Musa, also known as Suleiman Musa, was a high-profile militant operative who emerged as the mastermind behind the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in April 2025.

A former member of Pakistan’s elite Special Services Group (SSG), Musa transitioned from serving as a commando to becoming a handler for the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Indian intelligence sources indicated that his expertise was harnessed by elements within Pakistan’s military establishment, who “loaned” ex-special force personnel like Musa to Lashkar, enabling these terror groups to benefit from professional military training and advanced tactics while maintaining deniability regarding state involvement.

Hashim Musa reportedly infiltrated through the Kathua–Samba sector of the International Border around September 2023. Once inside Indian territory, he moved covertly through several districts—Budgam, Baramulla, Rajouri, Poonch, and Ganderbal—carefully avoiding detection while establishing terror networks and coordinating attacks.

These movements and his leadership role were identified by Indian security agencies through combined intelligence efforts and interrogation of over ground workers (OGWs) detained after the attacks.

The most infamous of Musa’s operations was the April 22, 2025 attack in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, where armed terrorists, wielding M4 rifles and showing military-level coordination, killed 26 civilians. Investigators traced the planning and orchestration of this massacre directly to Musa, noting his critical role in operational leadership and tactical execution.

In addition to the Pahalgam attack, Musa was suspected to be behind at least three other major attacks in 2024, including those in Ganderbal and Baramulla, where both security forces and civilians were targeted. Evidence drawn from both digital intelligence and field operatives indicated his recurring presence in these flashpoints.

Following the Pahalgam tragedy, the Jammu and Kashmir Police released sketches of Musa and two other suspects, offering a reward of ₹20 lakh for any actionable information leading to their apprehension. Posters were put up in key districts, and intensive search operations led to the arrest of at least 15 over ground workers who had aided the network.

The manhunt culminated in July 2025 when Indian Army Special Forces tracked Musa and his associates to the dense forests of Harwan near Dachigam, about 20km from Srinagar’s city centre. In a fierce encounter, Musa and two other terrorists were killed, marking a significant breakthrough in the region’s counter-terror operations and delivering a blow to Lashkar’s operational capability in Kashmir.

Agencies