NEW DELHI – In a significant diplomatic breakthrough for India, a recent report by the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC) sanctions monitoring team has for the first time explicitly named The Resistance Front (TRF), a Pakistan-based terror group and proxy of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), for its alleged role in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. This crucial inclusion in a formal UN document marks a major blow to Pakistan's long-standing strategy of plausible deniability regarding its support for cross-border terrorism.
The 36th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team on ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaeda, and associated entities meticulously details the Pahalgam incident, which claimed 26 civilian lives. It notes that TRF had twice claimed responsibility for the attack on April 22 and 23, even publishing a photograph of the attack site. Although TRF later retracted its claim on April 26, the UN report critically highlights that no other group subsequently claimed responsibility, and the evidence points strongly to their involvement.
Crucially, the report cites assertions from UN member states that the Pahalgam attack "could not have happened without Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) support," with one state explicitly stating that TRF was "synonymous with LeT." This direct link between TRF and the UN-designated terrorist entity LeT is a significant vindication of India's consistent stand on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Evidence recovered from neutralized terrorists, including Pakistani voter ID cards and ration items, further substantiates the cross-border connection.
The inclusion of TRF in the UNSC report is particularly impactful given Pakistan's past efforts to prevent any mention of the group in UN documents. India's External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, had previously pointed out how Pakistan's foreign minister had boasted about successfully removing references to TRF from an earlier UNSC press statement condemning the Pahalgam attack. The current report, adopted by consensus of all Security Council members, directly contradicts this claim and restores the reference, showcasing how India's sustained diplomatic efforts have successfully countered Pakistan's narrative.
Adding to the international pressure, the United States had earlier this month designated TRF as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), further solidifying its status as a significant threat.
This development is seen as a pivotal moment, puncturing Pakistan's strategy of using proxy groups with secular-sounding names to mask its support for jihadi outfits. The UN report not only exposes the direct involvement of TRF in the Pahalgam carnage but also underscores the deep-rooted links between these proxy groups and Pakistan-based terror organizations like LeT, signaling heightened international scrutiny on Pakistan's counter-terrorism commitments.
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