Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday welcomed the United States’ designation of The Resistance Front (TRF) as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), calling it a major diplomatic victory that underscores India’s persistent efforts to expose Pakistan’s involvement in cross-border terrorism.
“India has consistently informed the global community about Pakistan’s role in terrorism targeting our country. Some nations took time, but we have successfully convinced the world,” Joshi told reporters, following the U.S. announcement.
The U.S. designation follows TRF’s claim of responsibility for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians and triggered a brief military escalation between India and Pakistan.
Retired Lieutenant General KJS Dhillon, former Corps Commander in Kashmir, also welcomed the move, stating, “TRF is essentially a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba. As LeT faced international bans, TRF emerged to continue its activities under a new name.” He further urged global powers to designate Pakistan itself as a terrorist state.
TRF, founded in 2019 after the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, has targeted civilians, minorities, tourists, and security forces in the Union Territory. Intelligence sources reveal that Pakistan’s special forces, including ex-SSG commando Hashim Musa, have been involved in executing attacks under TRF’s banner.
The militant group’s known leadership, including founder Muhammad Abbas Sheikh and operational chief Basit Ahmed Dar, is reportedly dead, while its current supreme commander Sheikh Sajjad Gul remains active. Reports also indicate that the group’s headquarters may be shifting from Muridke to Bahawalpur in Pakistan.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar praised the U.S. action, calling it a “strong affirmation” of the growing India-U.S. counterterrorism partnership. “Zero tolerance for terrorism,” Jaishankar posted on social media platform X, thanking Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the U.S. State Department for the move.
The U.S. designation brings TRF under strict anti-terror laws as both a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group, further tightening the global pressure on Pakistan-backed terror networks operating in the region.
