News Desk
WASHINGTON — United States designated The Resistance Front (TRF), a terror group linked to the April 22 Pahalgam attack in India’s Jammu and Kashmir region that killed 26 civilians, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity.
The move, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, aligns TRF with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistan-based terrorist group implicated in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that left 166 dead. The designation intensifies scrutiny on Pakistan’s alleged ties to militant groups, deepening the rift between New Delhi and Islamabad.
The attack in Baisaran Valley, Pahalgam, targeted Hindu civilians, with assailants reportedly verifying victims’ religion before opening fire. India’s National Investigation Agency identified TRF’s leader, Sheikh Sajjad Gul, as the mastermind, alleging the assault was a joint operation by LeT and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, led by a suspected former Pakistani special forces commando known only as Sulaiman.
TRF initially claimed responsibility on Telegram but later withdrew the statement as tensions between India and Pakistan surged. India swiftly accused Pakistan of orchestrating the attack through TRF, a charge Islamabad denied.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, striking nine terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, damaging infrastructure including the Noor Khan airbase. A ceasefire followed on May 10 after Pakistan’s military sought de-escalation.
India also took diplomatic measures, expelling Pakistani nationals, suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, and closing the Attari-Wagah border.
The U.S. and India view TRF as a proxy for LeT, a group founded in the 1980s and banned by the U.S. as a terrorist organization in 2001. TRF emerged in 2019 after India revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, serving as a front for LeT’s continued operations, according to Indian and U.S. officials.
India banned TRF in 2023 under its Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for recruiting militants and orchestrating attacks. Pakistan, while denying support for either group, has faced persistent allegations of ties between its intelligence services and LeT.
In 2018, former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf admitted the country backed groups like LeT in the 1990s to fuel militancy in Kashmir. Pakistan’s Foreign Office has rejected India’s accusations, with former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari recently offering cooperation against TRF.
Pakistan insists it has cracked down on LeT, pointing to the 31-year sentence of its leader, Hafiz Saeed, for terror financing. Yet India alleges LeT continues to operate through fronts like TRF, a claim bolstered by the U.S. designation.
The Trump administration’s action underscores growing U.S.-India counter-terrorism cooperation. The Indian Embassy in Washington hailed the designation as proof of a shared “zero tolerance” policy toward terrorism.
The move aligns with President Trump’s call for justice and follows a recent Indian parliamentary delegation’s visit to strengthen bilateral anti-terrorism efforts. Complicating the regional dynamic, Indian journalist Karan Thapar reported that China blocked India’s bid to have TRF designated a terrorist group by the United Nations, allegedly at Pakistan’s request.
Details remain sparse, but the claim highlights the broader geopolitical tensions at play. The Pahalgam attack and TRF’s designation have further strained India-Pakistan relations, stalling regional initiatives like the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.
The U.S. action may pressure Pakistan to confront terrorist proxies, though experts caution that the opaque relationship between Pakistan’s state institutions and groups like LeT remains a persistent challenge. The United Nations designated LeT’s front, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a terrorist alias in 2008, and the U.S. has previously labeled Pakistan a “terrorist safe haven” for failing to curb militancy.
Questions linger over the attack’s attribution, given TRF’s retracted claim and the absence of public evidence tying Pakistan directly to the incident. Nonetheless, the U.S. designation and India’s investigations point to TRF and LeT’s involvement, with the Trump administration firmly endorsing India’s narrative.
