UN Security Council Links TRF to Pahalgam Attack in First Official Naming, Seen as Diplomatic Win for India

The UN Security Council has officially named The Resistance Front in connection with the Pahalgam terror attack, marking a diplomatic success for India. The report highlights TRF’s links to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and reflects growing global acknowledgment of cross-border terrorism in Kashmir, despite opposition from Pakistan and past Chinese interventions.

In a significant development, the United Nations Security Council has, for the first time, directly named The Resistance Front (TRF) in connection with the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, marking a diplomatic breakthrough for India. The latest biannual report by the UN’s monitoring team for sanctions on al-Qaeda and ISIS links TRF—a front for Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)—to the brutal assault that killed 26 civilians.

The report notes that five terrorists targeted a tourist area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22. TRF claimed responsibility the same day and even released images of the attack site, only to retract the claim on April 26. No other group has since taken responsibility.

India and the United States, according to sources familiar with the matter, provided crucial intelligence establishing TRF's operational and ideological connection to LeT. The report reflects both countries’ positions, countered only by Pakistan, which maintains that LeT is defunct. However, the report highlights that LeT continues clandestine activities in Pakistan.

Importantly, Pakistan was unable to block TRF’s mention in the report—unlike in April, when it prevented the group’s name from appearing in a UN press statement. China, Pakistan’s traditional backer at the UN, also did not oppose this time.

India’s efforts included detailed briefings to the UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee and submission of dossiers linking TRF to LeT. These follow India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor in May, which saw cross-border strikes after the Pahalgam attack.

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This report marks the first UN document in years to mention LeT or Pakistan-based terror groups explicitly, undermining Pakistan’s strategy of disguising such outfits under seemingly local names like TRF to mask foreign involvement in Kashmir militancy.