Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in the Pakistani Parliament publicly defended The Resistance Front (TRF)—a group recently designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) by the United States for its links to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

During his address, Dar revealed that Pakistan had intervened at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to remove the mention of TRF from an official statement condemning the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 civilian lives.

“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 also added that Pakistan does not view TRF as an illegal group, stating:

“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.”

This stance comes despite TRF’s own public claim of responsibility for the attack and intelligence confirmation from both the US and India linking TRF to the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

US imposes sanctions, calls TRF a Lashkar proxy

On July 18, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio officially designated TRF as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). This means TRF will now face financial sanctions and a ban on any support from individuals or entities under US jurisdiction.

“TRF, a Lashkar-e-Taiba front and proxy, claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack which killed 26 civilians,” the US State Department said.
 “TRF has also claimed responsibility for several attacks against Indian security forces, including most recently in 2024.”

Rubio called the Pahalgam attack“the deadliest assault on civilians in India since 2008,” and said the designation underscores the US commitment to fighting terrorism.

“These actions demonstrate the Trump administration's commitment to protecting our national security interests and seeking justice for victims of terrorism,” Rubio added.

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar welcomed the move, calling it a strong sign 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 X.

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