A day after the United States designated The Resistance Front (TRF), the group responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack, as a foreign terrorist organisation, Pakistan on Friday questioned the move, claiming that the investigation into the attack remained “inconclusive”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had announced that TRF — a front for Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) — would be designated as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
It would face financial sanctions restricting its access to support from individuals and entities under American jurisdiction. The development came nearly three months after TRF claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. It was the deadliest assault on civilians in India since LeT’s 2008 Mumbai attacks.
In a statement on Friday, Pakistan's foreign ministry said it has zero tolerance towards terrorism and pointed out that it has been on the “frontline" against it.
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“Pakistan condemns terrorism in all forms and manifestations; zero tolerance, and international cooperation against terrorism are cornerstone of our policy,” the statement read.
“Pakistan has been, and is a frontline state against terrorism, and has contributed tremendously towards achievement of global peace through its CT efforts including apprehension of Terrorist Sharifullah, the mastermind of Abbey Gate Bombing.”
“Pakistan condemns terrorism in all forms and manifestations; zero tolerance, and international cooperation against terrorism are cornerstone of our policy,” the statement read.
“Pakistan has been, and is a frontline state against terrorism, and has contributed tremendously towards achievement of global peace through its CT efforts including apprehension of Terrorist Sharifullah, the mastermind of Abbey Gate Bombing.”
It also claimed that the investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack remains “inconclusive” and that any linkage with LeT was against ground realities.
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“Any linkage with LeT, a defunct organization banned in Pakistan belies ground realities. Pakistan has effectively and comprehensively dismantled concerned outfits, arrested and prosecuted the leadership, and deradicalized its cadres,” it said.
The country also called itself as a “counter terrorism bulwark” and urged the international community to adopt objective and non-discriminatory policies.
India had designated TRF as a terrorist organisation in January 2023 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, TRF announced its existence on social media in 2019 and has since claimed responsibility for multiple attacks across Jammu and Kashmir, including a grenade attack in Srinagar that injured seven civilians and targeted killings in 2021.
New Delhi has repeatedly sought TRF’s international designation, providing inputs to the UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee monitoring team in May and November 2024, and raising the matter previously in 2023.