What Is The Resistance Front: Pakistan-backed LeT's Proxy Orchestrating Terror Attacks In India

Washington: The United States has officially designated Lashkar-e-Taiba’s proxy terror group, The Resistance Front (TRF), as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. The TRF was responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack involving Pakistani terrorists, which claimed the lives of 26 innocent civilians including 25 Indian tourists and one Nepalese national when they were vacationing in Jammu and Kashmir.

India has consistently raised concerns about TRF’s involvement in the attack as the group had initially claimed the responsibility. Following the US designation, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that TRF was added to the list of global terror groups under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224. The designation will take effect upon publication in the Federal Register.

“TRF, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) front and proxy, claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack which killed 26 civilians,” said Secretary Rubio.

The Resistance Front has been found to be channeling terror funds through real estate investments in Kashmir. Terror money was systematically invested in Kashmir’s real estate sector using assets linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The operation involved high-profile investments across multiple real estate projects, creating a facade of legitimate business activity.

What Is The Resistance Front (TRF) and Its Agenda?

Origins and structure

• Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was formed between 1986–1990 in Afghanistan’s Kunar province as the military wing of Markaz-ud-Dawa-wal-Irshad, a Pakistan-based fundamentalist missionary organisation created to counter Soviet forces.
• While the TRF was founded in October 2019, post the abrogation of Article 370, as a rebranded LeT outfit aimed at avoiding global scrutiny and FATF sanctions.

Proxy warfare and denial Strategy

• LeT is Pakistan’s most loyal and lethal proxy, sustained and controlled by the ISI for anti-India operations.
• It avoids internal attacks within Pakistan, offering plausible deniability to the Pakistani state through fronts like TRF and TTK.
• TRF is used to mask LeT’s jihadist operations under the guise of local resistance.

Recruitment and propaganda

• TRF recruits through martyr biographies, ideological victimhood, heroism, and institutional incentives.
• It operates via affiliated organisations such as Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Dar-ul-Andalus, and Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation, which provide public legitimacy through schools, madrasas, orphanages, and ambulance services.

Strategic messaging and digital warfare

• TRF promotes non-sectarian jihad messaging, targeting Hindus, Jews, and Christians, framing jihad as both a religious and national duty.
• Its digital propaganda ecosystem includes platforms like Mostodon (202 followers), ChirpWire, Jhelum Media House (JMH), and BiP, which serve as mouthpieces for its narrative warfare.

Tactics and civilian targeting

• TRF’s tactics include targeting civilians, tourists, and religious profiling.
• The group aims to gain local sympathy by portraying foreign-sponsored terrorism as indigenous resistance.

Timeline of major attacks

• April 2025, Pahalgam: 28 killed (Tourists, Navy Officer)
• June 2024, Reasi: 9 killed (Pilgrims)
• October 2024, Sonamarg: 7 killed (Labourers)
• September 2023, Anantnag: 3 SF personnel killed
• July 2020, Bandipora: BJP leader & family killed

Leadership

• Sheikh Sajjad Gul – Supreme Commander
• Basit Ahmed Dar – Operations Chief
• Ahmed Khalid – Spokesperson
• Muhammad Abbas Sheikh

Strategic implications

• TRF and LeT’s rebranding efforts are part of Pakistan’s hybrid warfare strategy, with the ISI providing sophisticated support.
• India’s Operation Sindoor is viewed as a legitimate and preventive measure, with growing international calls to recognise Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism.

TRF is not an indigenous movement, it is a mask for LeT’s ongoing jihad in Kashmir, reflecting deep-state terrorism, digital psychological warfare, and increasing civilian targeting.