Pahalgam killers TRF a global terror outfit: US | India News
Pakistan on Thursday suffered the humiliation of having its latest terror avatar, The Resistance Front (TRF), responsible for the Pahalgam massacre, being designated a Foreign Terrorist Organisation by the US state department. TRF was also termed a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” in concurrence with the US treasury department. In a statement, secretary of state Marco Rubio called TRF, whose existence Islamabad denies, a “front and proxy” for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistan-backed terror outfit responsible for numerous terror attacks in India, including the 26/11 Mumbai carnage that killed 159. In a separate notification published in the Federal Register, Rubio said based upon a review of the administrative record assembled in this matter, and in consultation with the attorney general and the treasury secretary, he has concluded that “there is a sufficient factual basis to find that Lashkar-e-Taiba uses the additional aliases The Resistance Front; TRF; Kashmir Resistance Front; and Kashmir Resistance”. The linkage endorsed India’s stand that LeT continues to re-invent itself in Pakistan under new names.
India welcomes move
MEA: TRF ban timely, important, strong assertion of Indo-US tiesThe announcement by the US state department designating TRF a Foreign Terrorist Organisation not only strengthens India’s case for a UN ban on TRF but also spotlights Pakistan-sponsored terrorism exactly when Islamabad is looking to corner India on the J&K issue, using its ongoing presidency of the Security Council (UNSC) to hold an open debate next week on unresolved disputes. External affairs minister S Jaishankar welcomed the development, calling it a strong affirmation of India-US counterterrorism cooperation and appreciating the role of his counterpart Marco Rubio and the State Department.Separately, the MEA said in a statement that this was a timely and important step as the TRF had been involved in numerous terror-related activities, including the Pahalgam terrorist attack for which it twice claimed responsibility. As a non-permanent member, Pakistan had earlier worked – with help from China – to dilute the UNSC condemnation of the attack. One of the things it insisted on was removal of the terror group’s name from the statement. Since 2023 – well before the Pahalgam attack – India had been sharing information with the Monitoring Team of the UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee, pointing to the TRF’s role as a cover for Pakistan based UN-proscribed terror groups like LeT and Jaish-eMohammed (JeM), for an international ban on the group. The govt is hoping that the US designation will bolster the case for TRF’s listing by the 1267 committee, even though it will be subject to approval not just by China but also, for now, Pakistan, a non-permanent member of the UNSC till the end of next year. “India has consistently emphasized the need for global cooperation in the fight against terrorism and the dismantling of terror infrastructure. The designation of TRF is a timely and important step reflecting the deep cooperation between India and the United States on counterterrorism,” said the ministry. The US ban on TRF is also the first real show of intent by the US under the second Trump administration to pin Pakistan down on the issue of cross-border terrorism. It follows multiple conflicting signals from Trump himself who made repeated remarks after India’ Operation Sindoor that seemed to equate India, which sees itself as the victim and not aggressor, with Pakistan. Trump, in fact, continues to maintain – much to the delight of Pakistan – that he mediated the India-Pakistan ceasefire, preventing a nuclear conflagration. “These actions… demonstrate the Trump administration’s commitment to protecting our national security interests, countering terrorism, and enforcing President Trump’s call for justice for the Pahalgam attack,” Rubio said in a statement, even as Islamabad is angling for a US presidential visit on the margins of the Quad summit in India later this year. Pakistan reacted with its customary denials to the terror designations, insisting it is a “frontline state against terrorism” despite legions of terrorists from Osama bin Laden to Khalid Shaikh Mohammed sheltering there and its nationals conducting numerous terrorist attacks across the world, including in the US. “Investigations into the Pahalgam incident… are still inconclusive. Any linkage with LeT, a defunct organisation banned in Pakistan, belies ground realities,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.
