Cross-border drones successfully dropped arms and ammunition as deep into Kashmir as the Baramulla district without detection, according to a National Investigation Agency (NIA) chargesheet filed in the last year's audacious Pahalgam terror attack case.
The exhaustive NIA probe has tracked the pre-attack movements of the terrorists who struck the popular Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam in April last year. The terror attack resulted in the death of 26 people, the majority of whom were tourists.
In response to the attack, Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor in which terror infrastructure across the border were destroyed.
Security experts analysing the chargesheet point to a critical drop in human intelligence gathering between 2022 and 2024 as a primary reason the terror cell was able to move freely through the valley undetected.
The investigation highlights a worrying shift in the logistics of terror in the region. Rather than relying solely on traditional, heavily guarded infiltration routes along the Line of Control (LoC), handlers from across the border are increasingly deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Officials noted that these drones managed to penetrate deep into the hinterland, bypassing multi-tiered security cordons to deliver hardware and money directly to terror cells operating in north Kashmir's Baramulla district.
Gogal Dara forests located in Baramulla district is believed to have become a hotspot for drone dropping because of it being in the line of site from across the border.
While the chargesheet has meticulously charted how the attackers embedded themselves within the local landscape before striking the tourist hub, it has also sparked a debate among security analysts regarding structural blind spots.
Experts argue that an over-reliance on technical intelligence at the expense of cultivating local, ground-level human intelligence (HUMINT) networks during the 2022-2024 period created a operational vacuum. This deficit, they believe, allowed the perpetrators to scout targets, receive aerial weapon drops, and execute the high-profile strike without triggering early warning systems.
In the chargesheet, the NIA said that the terror group received a drone dropping at Gogal Dara forest which contained 20 pistols, Rs 15 lakh, and triangle shaped bombs (Chinese grenades) in early 2024.
Experts believe that terror groups have been using higher ridges as safe havens and suggesting that the security forces should review their tactics and regain the trust of Gujjar and Bakerwal nomadic tribes - considered the "eyes and ears" of the mountains.
Distancing from these tribes and growing mistrust between the security forces and the two communities has proved a disaster for maintaining security especially in Pir Panjal ranges as Gujjar and Bakerwal communities, with a combined population of around 23 lakh, have been crucial collaborators for the security forces for decades due to their deep knowledge of the rugged terrain and unwavering loyalty - key factors in rolling back insurgency especially in Jammu region.The setback to gathering of human intelligence came during 2022-23 when many 'sources' were abandoned causing a deficiency of stable communication infrastructure leading to delivery of efficient intelligence thereby, jeopardising a partnership essential to regional security, experts and officials feel.
The NIA chargesheet gave graphic description of the movement of terrorists, involved in the Baisaran attack, suggesting that they were passing through mountains and urban areas without getting noticed, a point that the security experts feel is due to lack of human intelligence.