In a sharp departure from his previous position, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has welcomed the United States' move to designate The Resistance Front (TRF) a terrorist group.
While addressing a function in Washington, DC, Dar made it clear that Pakistan has no issue with the U.S. action, although he questioned the link of the organization to the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
"It is clearly the sovereign choice of the United States to label the TRF. We do not have a problem. And we invite, if they possess any proof, that they are engaged," Dar said.
But he insisted, "Attributing the TRF to the Lashkar-e-Taiba is incorrect. That group was dissolved years ago by Pakistan. The players were brought to justice, arrested and incarcerated, and the entire group was disbanded."
Dar's observation is in stark contrast to what he said previously in Pakistan's Parliament. Then a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, he had forcefully opposed TRF from being mentioned in the UNSC's statement following the fatal terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 civilians.
"We resisted the reference to TRF in the UNSC statement. I received calls from world capitals, but Pakistan will not accept," Dar had stated. "TRF was removed, and Pakistan succeeded," he asserted.
He had also stated, "We do not regard TRF as illegal. Produce evidence that they conducted the Pahalgam attack. Produce ownership by TRF. We won't accept the claim, and TRF had to be removed from the UN press release."
In early July this year, the United States formally designated TRF as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). The U.S. State Department used TRF's involvement in numerous terror attacks throughout India, such as the Pahalgam attack, as the reason for the designation.
In a release, the department emphasized the step as a part of the broader effort of the Trump administration to ensure national security and enforce its position against terrorism.
"TRF and other aliases related to LeT have been added to LeT's designation as a FTO and SDGT under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224, respectively. The Department of State has also considered and continued the FTO designation of LeT. FTO designation amendments are effective when published in the Federal Register," the statement stated.
TRF was established in 2019 and has been listed by Indian authorities as a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba. It was banned by the Indian government in 2023 and is also responsible for actively recruiting youth via social media, facilitating cross-border intrusion, and smuggling weapons and drugs from Pakistan into Jammu and Kashmir.
TRF has taken credit for many attacks on civilians, politicians, and security forces in the state. Its leader, Sheikh Sajjad Gul, is already proscribed as a terrorist under India's Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
