In a stunning admission that has sparked global outrage, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar brazenly defended The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) proxy responsible for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in J&K, during a speech in the Pakistani Parliament. On July 18, the United States officially designated TRF as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), dealing a diplomatic and strategic blow to Islamabad’s terror-patronage apparatus.
Dar admitted that Pakistan intervened as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council to delete any mention of TRF in the UNSC statement condemning the Pahalgam attack, which left 26 civilians dead in J&K. “We opposed the mention of TRF in the UNSC statement. I got calls from global capitals, but Pakistan will not accept,” Dar said defiantly. “TRF was deleted, and Pakistan prevailed.”
Despite TRF having publicly claimed responsibility for the massacre and independent confirmations from both Indian and US intelligence agencies linking it to LeT’s infrastructure, Dar claimed, “We don’t consider TRF illegal. Show us proof they carried out the Pahalgam attack. Show ownership by TRF. We won’t accept the allegation.”
⚡ Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar defended TRF (a US designated terrorist org), in the Pakistani Parliament and said that as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Pakistan ensured that the terrorist group was not named in the UN Security Council's Pahalgam… pic.twitter.com/aWCHnDCBka
— OSINT Updates (@OsintUpdates) July 18, 2025
The shocking remarks not only expose Pakistan’s duplicity on terrorism but also reaffirm long-standing global concerns about its role as a state sponsor of terror. The United States responded with a firm rebuke. In a statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared TRF as a designated FTO and SDGT. “TRF, a Lashkar-e-Taiba front and proxy, claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack which killed 26 civilians,” the State Department said, adding that the group had also conducted multiple attacks on Indian security forces over the past year.
Calling it “the deadliest assault on civilians in India since 2008,” Rubio affirmed that the Trump administration remains committed to “protecting our national security interests and seeking justice for victims of terrorism.”
India welcomed the US move as a decisive step against Pakistan’s terror proxies. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar applauded Washington’s action. “Appreciate SecRubio and @StateDept for designating TRF, a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) proxy, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). It claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Zero tolerance for terrorism,” Jaishankar posted on social media platform X.
The episode has exposed Islamabad’s international manoeuvring to shield terror groups while playing victim on global platforms. With the US standing firmly with India, Pakistan’s duplicity now faces unprecedented scrutiny on the world stage.
