The revelations from an NIA chargesheet related to the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack investigation, which concluded that cross-border drones delivered weapons deep inside Kashmir without being detected, reaching as far as Baramulla district, are deeply concerning.

The attack, which occurred at Baisaran Meadows and killed 26 people, most of them tourists, has wounded India.

Analysts argue that a decline in human intelligence (HUMINT) between 2022 and 2024 created security gaps that allowed terrorists to move, scout targets, and receive supplies without detection. The NIA’s reconstruction of events suggests that the attackers were able to travel through mountainous and urban areas across Kashmir while largely avoiding security attention. Investigators found that terrorists increasingly relied on drones instead of traditional infiltration routes along the Line of Control.

According to the chargesheet, a drone drop in early 2024 at Gogal Dara forest delivered arms, cash, and bombs. Security experts believe that the Gogal Dara forests became a preferred drone-drop zone because the area is within line of sight from across the border and offers concealment.

Even as experts recommend rebuilding trust with the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities, whose local knowledge has historically been crucial for intelligence gathering and counter-insurgency efforts, the state has much more to do, as the report indicates a shift in militant logistics from ground infiltration to drone-based supply operations.

It is concerning that crucial links with local communities have weakened, resulting in weaker intelligence networks that may have contributed to the terrorists’ ability to operate undetected. Even as the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure across the border, the country must step up its efforts, and the first point of contact has to be the local communities.