Hours after Ishaq Dar's U-turn on US terror listing, TRF says armed struggle 'lawful and necessary'

Dar went on to claim that linking TRF with Lashkar-e-Taiba is “wrong," without giving any evidence for his assertion.

Hours after Pakistan’s foreign minister and deputy PM Ishaq Dar backed the United States’ decision to designate Lashkar-backed The Resistance Front (TRF) as a “terrorist organisation”, the terror outfit issued a statement opposing the decision and justifying its "struggle".

The Resistance Front justifies its armed resistance in Jammu and Kashmir as a lawful and necessary response to what it describes as the “unlawful Indian occupation", the terror outfit is learnt to have said, according to a report by News18.

The TRF claims that its designation as a terrorist organisation by the United States is unjust and influenced by Indian pressure on American institutions. The group maintains it is a legitimate, local freedom movement fighting against the so-called “Indian occupation" of Jammu and Kashmir, rejecting the terrorist label, added the publication.

Dar's statement marks a significant shift from his previous stance on the Pakistan-based terror group. It is pertinent to note that it was TRF that claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. The attack that rocked India claimed the lives of 26 innocent people. While speaking at an event in Washington, Dar said that Pakistan has “no objection" to the US designation.

However, Dhar went on to claim that linking TRF with Lashkar-e-Taiba is “wrong," without giving any evidence for his assertion. “It is a sovereign decision of the United States to designate the TRF. We have no issue. And we welcome, if they have any evidence, that they are involved," Dar said at the event organised by the Atlantic Council. TRF’s statement rejects the US decision, framing its struggle as a rightful liberation from an oppressive Indian regime.

Earlier in April, Dar told Pakistan’s parliament that Islamabad had prevented the inclusion of TRF in the United Security Council (UNSC) resolution that condemned the Pahalgam terror attack. “We opposed the mention of TRF in the UNSC statement. I got calls from global capitals, but Pakistan will not accept. TRF was deleted, and Pakistan prevailed," Dar had said. At that time, the Pakistani foreign minister also maintained that Pakistan would need more substantial evidence regarding the TRF’s involvement in terror activities.