Just hours after Pakistan’s Foreign Minister and Deputy PM Ishaq Dar voiced disapproval of the United States’ decision to designate The Resistance Front (TRF) as a terrorist organization, the outfit released a statement rejecting the label and framing its actions as part of a “lawful struggle” against what it calls the “Indian occupation” of Jammu and Kashmir.
In a statement clearly echoing Islamabad’s tone, the TRF claimed its designation was the result of “Indian pressure on American institutions” and accused the U.S. of being “frustrated” in its global efforts, leading to unfair branding of Kashmiri groups as terrorists. It reiterated that it is a “legitimate, local freedom movement,” not a terrorist entity.
Denial, Deflection—and a Familiar Playbook
Framing its armed insurgency as a liberation struggle, the TRF said the U.S. move was “unjust” and part of a broader geopolitical design to suppress Kashmiri voices. “This designation has no basis in ground realities and is driven by the Indian state’s efforts to manipulate global narratives,” the group claimed.
However, Indian intelligence officials see a more orchestrated play behind the scenes.
TRF: A LeT Proxy in New Clothes
Top intelligence sources told this publication that The Resistance Front is not a native Kashmiri movement but a calculated proxy outfit floated by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to rebrand Lashkar-e-Taiba’s activities post the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
“The TRF was created to offer a ‘secular’ and ‘local’ face to Pakistan-backed jihadist terrorism in Kashmir—essentially a rebranding effort to dodge global terror watchlists,” said a senior security official.
According to sources, the timing of the TRF’s statement—within hours of Ishaq Dar’s criticism—betrays the coordination between Pakistan’s diplomatic corps and its terror proxies. “It’s a classic example of narrative warfare—first the state pushes the rhetoric internationally, then the proxy echoes it to lend credibility,” the source added.
Blood Trail and Terror Finances
Despite TRF’s claims of legitimacy, Indian authorities cite a bloody record—the group has been linked to targeted assassinations of civilians, migrant workers, and minority community members in Kashmir. Investigators say these actions are backed by forensic evidence, including recovered weapons and intercepted communications with handlers based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
What’s more, financial tracking via hawala channels and cryptocurrency wallets has revealed clear links between TRF operatives and Pakistan-based funders, solidifying the claim that the group is a component of Pakistan’s hybrid warfare model—a mix of terrorism, disinformation, and diplomatic smokescreens.
As global pressure builds on state-sponsored terror, the synchronized messaging from Pakistan’s foreign office and the TRF may have only strengthened suspicions rather than diffused them.
