India charges Pakistan-based militant groups, six men over Kashmir tourist attack

SRINAGAR, India, Dec ⁠15 (Reuters) - India's anti-terrorism ⁠agency ‍on Monday charged militant Islamist groups based in Pakistan and six individuals over an April ‍attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir that killed ​26 men, and triggered intense fighting between the two countries.

The fighting, ​the worst between the nuclear-armed neighbours in decades, was sparked when militants opened fire on Hindu tourists in the Pahalgam region of ​Indian-administered Kashmir. New Delhi said the attack was backed by Pakistan, allegations which Islamabad has denied.

Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) ​and its offshoot The Resistance Front (TRF) were charged for their alleged role in "planning, ‌facilitating, and executing the Pahalgam attack", according to a statement from India's anti-terrorism agency.

Three Pakistani ​men killed by Indian security forces ⁠during Operation Mahadev in July in Srinagar, Indian Kashmir, were charged posthumously, the statement said. ‌Another two men already in custody were charged, and a man accused of being a Pakistani terrorist handler.

A spokesperson for ‌Pakistan's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for ‌comment.

The 1,597-page document was filed before a special court in the Jammu region of India, and contained the first formal charges ‍over the attack.

The NIA traced the conspiracy to Pakistan during a probe that lasted ⁠eight months, the statement said, adding that the LeT and TRF, along with the six men, were charged with waging war against India.

(Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari; Writing by Pooja Desai; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

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