On April 22, at least 26 unarmed tourists were gunned down by Pakistan-backed terrorists at the lush Baisaran meadows near Pahalgam, South Kashmir. The deadly attack was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy outfit of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which has emerged as the most active terror group in the Valley since 2019.
The victims, part of a larger group of pilgrims and holiday-goers, had reportedly trekked to the scenic Baisaran plateau — popular for its pine-forested slopes and panoramic views — when heavily armed militants opened indiscriminate fire on them. Several others, including women and children, were left critically injured. Survivors described a scene of unimaginable horror, as bodies lay strewn amidst backpacks, shoes and mobile phones — all bearing witness to the terrorists’ ruthless assault.
According to top intelligence sources, the strike bears the hallmark of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the banned Pakistan-based terror group, operating under the rebranded banner of TRF — The Resistance Front. TRF was floated in the aftermath of India’s historic abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, with the explicit goal of giving Islamist militancy in Kashmir a secular-sounding, indigenous identity.
“The aim was to project jihad as resistance,” said a senior intelligence officer. “TRF is nothing but Lashkar’s psychological camouflage to escape international scrutiny while carrying out the same jihadi agenda.”
As per a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notification from January 2023, TRF is involved in:
- Recruiting Kashmiri youth online for terror operations
- Infiltration of terrorists and weapons from across the border
- Spreading propaganda through digital platforms
- Threatening and intimidating media personnel in the Valley
The MHA had declared TRF a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Its top commander, Sheikh Sajjad Gul, was individually designated under the Act’s Fourth Schedule. The agency confirmed that “a large number of cases have been registered against TRF members for killings of civilians and security forces.”
The Mastermind: Saifullah Khalid and the Pakistani Military nexus
Investigations have identified Saifullah Khalid a.k.a. Saifullah Kasuri, deputy chief of LeT, as the main architect of the Pahalgam massacre. Khalid is a close confidant of Hafiz Saeed, and continues to operate freely in Pakistan under the protection of the military establishment.
An explosive intelligence dossier told that two months before the Pahalgam attack, Khalid had delivered incendiary speeches in Kanganpur (Punjab, Pakistan) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, openly calling for a final war to “reclaim Kashmir.”
In a chilling declaration made on February 2, 2025, Khalid reportedly promised: “We will capture Kashmir by February 2, 2026. The Mujahideen will intensify their attacks starting now.”
These speeches, officials say, were not just rhetoric. They were followed by the training of Pakistani youth in terror camps deep inside Abbottabad forests, operated by LeT’s political wings PMML and SML, where radicalised recruits were prepared for target killings and mass civilian attacks. After their indoctrination and arms training, these men were infiltrated into Indian territory with direct assistance from the Pakistani Army.
The rise of TRF: Post-370 terror engineered from Karachi
Formed in late 2019, TRF was created to repackage jihad in a way that could appeal to global liberal sentiments under the garb of ‘resistance’. “Words like ‘resistance’ and ‘freedom’ are currency in international diplomacy. Pakistan used them to mask its state-sponsored terrorism,” said a senior counter-terrorism analyst.
In its early months, TRF was entirely digital, spreading propaganda, recruiting through Telegram and dark web forums, and threatening dissenting voices. By mid-2020, however, the outfit took physical form as an amalgamation of Lashkar, Ghaznavi Hind, and Tehreek-e-Millat Islamia operatives.
The J&K Police’s Sopore and Kupwara module busts were the first to shed light on this structure. Overground Workers (OGWs) revealed they were luring and recruiting local Kashmiri youth, under the false narrative of defending Kashmir from “Indian oppression.”
In 2022, of the 172 militants killed in security operations, a staggering 108 were from TRF. Moreover, 74 of 100 new militants recruited that year were inducted by TRF, confirming its dominance over traditional outfits like Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammad.
TRF also unleashed psychological terror by threatening Kashmiri journalists and media houses. Between 2022 and 2023, several local editors and reporters were forced to resign under duress, after TRF accused them of “traitorous acts” and disseminating “Indian propaganda.” Despite a ban on its digital assets, the group continues to operate through mirror channels, bot networks, and encrypted communications, frustrating cyber-security efforts.
As news of the Pahalgam massacre spread, Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately cut short his high-level visit to Saudi Arabia. Upon arrival in Delhi, he convened an emergency meeting with NSA Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the airport itself.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, meanwhile, flew to Kashmir the same evening, where he held a high-level security meeting with Army, CRPF, and IB officials.
Sources confirm a massive coordinated counter-terror operation has now been launched under Doval’s supervision, focusing on:
- Identifying and neutralising TRF sleeper cells
- Cracking down on OGW recruitment chains
- Isolating digital infrastructure and communication lines
- Internationalising Pakistan’s terror export through diplomatic channels
This attack reopens the conversation on how Pakistan has consistently evaded real accountability on state-sponsored terrorism by exploiting weak global narratives, especially in the West. Despite FATF grey listings and diplomatic warnings, Islamabad continues to nurture terror factories with impunity. “The world cannot afford to look away anymore,” said a senior security expert. “Today it’s 26 tourists. Tomorrow it could be an entire city.”
