Pakistan rattled after US declares TRF a terror group, denies Lashkar link, rakes up Kashmir issue

Reverting to a familiar playbook, Islamabad used the occasion to revive its position on Jammu and Kashmir, referring to it as 'IIOJ&K', a term it uses for India’s union territory.

A day after the United States officially designated The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow group of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, Pakistan hit back with a familiar mix of denial, deflection, and accusations aimed at India.

The US action comes close on the heels of the Pahalgam massacre, in which 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed. American officials called it the deadliest terrorist attack on Indian civilians since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which were also carried out by LeT operatives.

In a sharply worded press release, Pakistan rejected any connection between Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Pahalgam incident, calling LeT a “defunct organisation banned in Pakistan.” The statement added that Pakistan had “dismantled concerned outfits, arrested and prosecuted the leadership, and deradicalised its cadres.”

The response came even as TRF has publicly claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack, and Indian agencies have submitted evidence of its Lashkar links to international partners.

Reverting to a familiar playbook, Islamabad used the occasion to revive its position on Jammu and Kashmir, referring to it as 'IIOJ&K', a term it uses for India’s union territory.

“India has a track record of exploiting such designations to push anti-Pakistan propaganda... and divert international attention from its rogue behaviour, including ongoing human rights atrocities,” the statement said.

Pakistan also used the opportunity to urge the global community to adopt ‘non-discriminatory’ counter-terrorism policies, pointing to the Majeed Brigade of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a group involved in multiple attacks on Pakistani security forces, especially in Balochistan.

“Terrorist organisations like Majeed Brigade must also be listed as aliases of BLA,” the statement added.

The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the designation of TRF as both a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).

India welcomed the move and is expected to push for further global isolation of TRF and its parent group LeT, especially through the UN Security Council’s 1267 Sanctions Committee.

China, a permanent member of the Security Council and Pakistan’s key ally, issued a guarded response. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said:

“China calls on regional countries to enhance counterterrorism cooperation and jointly maintain regional security and stability.”

While Beijing refrained from commenting directly on the US designation, its history of shielding Pakistan-based groups at the UN remains a point of friction with India and other Western allies.