New Delhi: The NIA in its charge sheet in the Pulwama terror attack case, named Jaish-e- Muhammad Chief Masood Azhar, his brother and Deputy Rouf Asgar, and their cousin Ammar Alvi, all based in Pakistan and Rouf’s ex-body guard Mohd. Ismail, suspected to be in India.

As the prime masterminds behind the February 29/19 fidayeen strike that killed 40 CRPF personnels and brought India to the brink of war with Pakistan. Of the 19 accused in the 13, 500 page chargesheet that refers to the hand of ISI and Pakistan’s other state actors, seven have been arrested, six are absconding and six have died. The deceased include Azhar’s nephew Mohd. Umar Farooq, who an NIA officer said, was tasked directly by the Jaish Chief to infiltrate into Kashmir in 2018 to oversee execution of the well planned conspiracy.

NIA sources said the chargesheet backed by digital, forensic, documentary and oral evidence against accused contained a “Vitriolic” clip of the Jaish Chief condemning the killing of his nephew Usman Hyder in trail in 2018 and exhorting Kashmiri locals to avenge it with “Shahadat”, which motivated Pulwama bomber Adil Ahmed Dar to taken on the suicide mission. As per the investigating agency, the Jihadi outfit had even planned a second attack on a key Indian security installation soon after the Pulwama success.

However, Azhar instructed accused Umar Farooq, IC-814 hijacker Ibrahim Athar’s son who was killed one and a half months after the Pulwama attack, to abort the attack inview of the International scrutiny on Jaish and Pakistan following the IAF strikes on terror facilities in Balakot. Mufti has asked the attack to be put on hold, went the messaged passed onto Umar, with Mufti seen as a reference to Azhar who is held responsible for many terror attacks across India. The NIA chargesheet said Azhar, Rouf and Ammar were continuously giving directions to the Pakistani JeM terrorists Umar, Mohd. Ismail, Mohd Kamran and Qari Yasir both before and after the attack.