Who Is Hashim Musa? Pakistani Commando-Turned-LeT Terrorist Behind Pahalgam Attack

Pakistan Army’s Special Service Group (SSG) Commando Asif Fauji alias Hashim Musa, one of the main perpetrators of the Pahalgam terror attack, had been active in Jammu and Kashmir for the past year and is suspected to have been involved in at least three attacks on security forces and non-locals, according to NIA officials familiar with the investigation.

Sources in the investigation team revealed that the Pakistan Army’s Special Service Group (SSG) deployed operatives to join the banned terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and strengthen its operations in Kashmir. Musa later joined LeT and is believed to have infiltrated into India in September 2023.

Musa, a trained commando, is reportedly an expert in unconventional warfare and covert operations. Such commandos are typically skilled in handling sophisticated weapons, engaging in hand-to-hand combat, and demonstrating advanced navigation and survival skills, sources said. His SSG background was reportedly revealed during the interrogation of one of the 14 Kashmiri Over Ground Workers (OGWs) apprehended during the investigation.