Pahalgam Attack: New opportunity and ongoing challenges as US labels TRF a terrorist outfit

The US Department of State has left little room for doubt when it comes to where the plans for the Pahalgam attack originated from.

By Vinay Jha 

The US Department of State’s decision to designate The Resistance Front, which claimed responsibility for the horrific attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on 22 April 2025, as a terrorist organisation has vindicated India’s stance – that the outfit is nothing but a front for the Pakistan-backed and Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT).

With the US naming it as a “proxy” of the LeT, TRF has been stripped of its ability to continue operating in the shadows of Pakistan’s long-practised policy of plausible deniability when it comes to its active support for terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. The outfit can now be subjected to stringent action by US entities, such as choking financial resources and support.

Going by past experience, however, India would be gearing up for some familiar challenges and hurdles over the next few weeks and months. The LeT itself, for instance, has been designated as a terrorist organisation by India, the US, and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for years now, but the outfit continues to operate from Pakistan.

TRF: A Lashkar-e-Tayyiba Front and Proxy

India has long maintained that the TRF is nothing but a proxy for the LeT, which carried out the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. India has consistently rejected Pakistan’s claims that TRF is a “grassroots movement”; it banned TRF under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in January 2023. Immediately after the Pahalgam attack, Indian security agencies noted that the religious targeting and military-style killings had all the hallmarks of a LeT operation.

On 17 July 2025, the US Department of State named The Resistance Front (TRF) as both a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). Referring specifically to TRF claiming responsibility for the Pahalgam attack, the US Department of State described TRF as “a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) front and proxy”. It noted that the outfit had also claimed responsibility for several attacks against Indian security forces. At the same time, the Department of State “reviewed and maintained” the FTO designation of LeT.

The move is being described as a concrete example of the counter-terrorism cooperation between India and the US and has been welcomed by New Delhi. In a post on social media platform X, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called it “a strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation” even as he highlighted “Zero tolerance for terrorism”.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) noted that the TRF had “twice claimed responsibility” for the Pahalgam terror attack. “The designation of TRF is a timely and important step reflecting the deep cooperation between India and the United States on counter-terrorism,” it said.

The US action comes weeks after a major global outreach by multiple all-party Indian delegations, which visited countries across the world to mobilise and consolidate opinion against Pakistan for backing terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and its involvement in the Pahalgam attack. This was in addition to New Delhi’s ongoing and intense diplomatic engagement with Washington D.C.

India’s outreach followed Operation Sindoor. Launched on 7 May 2025, this limited military action targeted nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) housing terrorist infrastructure used by Pakistan-backed groups for attacks like the one in Pahalgam.

Why the US Move Matters

The US Department of State has added TRF to the LeT’s existing designation as an FTO and SDGT under provisions of Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and Executive Order 13224.

Section 219 of the INA prescribes a series of strong measures, including restrictions on financial transactions as well as immigration benefits for members of the designated group.

At the same time, Executive Order 13224 – signed by then-US President George Bush on 23 September 2001, days after the 9/11 attacks – provides powerful means to disrupt the financial support network for terrorists and terrorist organisations.

According to the US Department of State, it authorises the US government to block the assets of individuals and entities that provide support, services, or assistance to, or otherwise associate with, terrorists and terrorist organisations designated under the Order, as well as their subsidiaries, front organisations, agents, and associates.

India will now expect the US to take action in accordance with these laws to cripple the functioning of the TRF and rein in its support ecosystem.

The Challenges Ahead

TRF came into existence after the Indian government abrogated Article 370 in 2019, ending the special status previously accorded to Jammu and Kashmir. Over the past few years, security agencies have also spoken about the emergence of other terrorist outfits in Kashmir as part of Pakistan’s strategy to amplify its “homegrown freedom fighters” narrative, even as it continues to provide not-so-covert training, planning, and logistics support.

By clearly labelling TRF as a proxy and front for the LeT, the US Department of State has left little room for doubt when it comes to where the plans for the Pahalgam attack originated from. But with Kashmir continuing to be a key raison d'être for a powerful section of the Pakistani military establishment, the country’s civilian government is highly unlikely to give up its rhetoric of “grassroots movement” for terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir anytime soon.

At the same time, the unbridled activity of proscribed terrorist groups like the LeT and their leaders within Pakistan remains a cause for concern for India.

The Lashkar-e-Tayyiba was placed on the UN Security Council sanctions list in May 2005 as being “associated with Al-Qaida, Usama bin Laden, or the Taliban”.

The UNSC also noted the LeT’s conduct of numerous terrorist operations against military and civilian targets since 1993, including the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, the July 2006 attack on multiple Mumbai commuter trains, the December 2001 attack against the Indian Parliament, in which Jaish-e-Mohammed was also implicated, and attacks in New Delhi in October 2005 and in Bangalore in December 2005.

An intensive Indian campaign will be needed when it comes to getting the United Nations to designate the TRF in a manner similar to that followed by the US Department of State, which has added the outfit “and other associated aliases” to the LeT’s designation as an FTO and SDGT. Equally importantly, India will need to keep up the diplomatic pressure to isolate Pakistan for its continued support of terrorist groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir.

At the same time, there can be no letting down of guard when it comes to all-out efforts to prevent another terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in the future. How India approaches the situation over the next few months will define New Delhi’s resolve to stamp out terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir.

(Vinay Jha is a senior journalist.) 

Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.