Sheikh Sajjad Gul (50), the alleged mastermind behind the recent Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, is reported to have pursued part of his education in Kerala. Gul currently heads The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy outfit of the banned terror organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack.
According to reports, Gul completed his schooling in Srinagar before obtaining an MBA from BEM, Bengaluru. He subsequently pursued a lab technician course in Kerala. Following his return to Kashmir, he set up a medical laboratory and began offering logistical and technical support to terrorist organisations.
Authorities have uncovered concrete evidence linking Gul to the Pahalgam terror attack. He is currently believed to be hiding in Rawalpindi, a cantonment town in Pakistan. Gul’s terror links date back to 2002, when he was arrested at Delhi’s Nizamuddin railway station with five kilograms of RDX. He was later sentenced to ten years in prison.
After his release in 2017, Gul reportedly crossed over to Pakistan and was inducted by Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to carry out terror operations in J&K. The TRF, which he leads, have been established as part of ISI’s strategy following the 2019 Pulwama terror attack to mask Lashkar-e-Taiba’s direct involvement under a new name.
Between 2020 and 2024, Gul is believed to have orchestrated a series of attacks targeting migrant labourers and beggars in the Kashmir Valley. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has declared a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for information leading to his capture.
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