During a speech at the Pakistani Parliament, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar openly defended The Resistance Front (TRF). On 18th July, the United States designated TRF as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation. TRF is a Pakistan-sponsored terrorist group linked to the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. It is also a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Dar said that Pakistan, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, intervened to block the mention of TRF in the UNSC’s condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22nd, that killed 26 civilians.
“We opposed the mention of TRF in the UNSC statement. I got calls from global capitals, but Pakistan will not accept,” Dar said. “TRF was deleted, and Pakistan prevailed.”
He further added, “We don’t consider TRF illegal. Show us proof they carried out the Pahalgam attack. Show ownership by TRF. We won’t accept the allegation, and TRF had to be deleted from the UN press release.” He said this despire TRF’s own public claim of responsibility and intelligence confirmation from both — the US and India, linking the group to LeT’s infrastructure.
In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that TRF would be designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), and would face financial sanctions, restricting its access to support from individuals and entities under American jurisdiction.
“TRF, a Lashkar-e-Taiba front and proxy, claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack which killed 26 civilians,” the State Department said. “TRF has also claimed responsibility for several attacks against Indian security forces, including most recently in 2024.”
Rubio associated TRF to the Pahalgam attack and called it “the deadliest assault on civilians in India since 2008.”
“These actions demonstrate the Trump administration’s commitment to protecting our national security interests and seeking justice for victims of terrorism,” Rubio said.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar welcomed the US decision and termed the move “strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation.”
“Appreciate SecRubio and @StateDept for designating TRF, a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) proxy, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). It claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Zero tolerance for terrorism,” Jaishankar posted on his social media platform X.
