Pak cries foul after US terror tag for Lashkar proxy, blames ‘Indian propaganda’

Pakistan lashed out on Friday after the US designated The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow group of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, as a terrorist organisation, resorting to its usual script of deflecting blame and raking up the Kashmir issue.

Washington’s terror tag for TRF comes weeks after it claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam massacre, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were gunned down. US officials described it as the deadliest terrorist strike on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, also orchestrated by Lashkar operatives.

Islamabad, however, dismissed any link between the Pahalgam attack and Lashkar-e-Taiba, which it claimed is a “defunct organisation banned in Pakistan.”

In a statement, it said, “Pakistan has effectively and comprehensively dismantled concerned outfits, arrested and prosecuted the leadership, and deradicalised its cadres.”

In a familiar move, Pakistan called itself a “frontline state against terrorism” and claimed it had “contributed tremendously towards achievement of global peace through its counter-terrorism efforts.”

The statement also rejected India’s evidence-backed assertion of Lashkar’s role in the Pahalgam killings, calling it a bid to “misuse international forums to defame Pakistan.”

“India has a track record of exploiting such designations to push anti-Pakistan propaganda with a view to divert international attention from its irresponsible and rogue behaviour, including ongoing human rights atrocities, especially in IIOJ&K,” it said, using its preferred term for Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan also demanded that the international community adopt “objective and non-discriminatory policies” in the fight against terrorism. This came even as Islamabad, increasingly rattled by Baloch militants targeting security installations in Balochistan, sought action against the Majeed Brigade of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).

Earlier in a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Department of State had designated the TRF as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). India welcomed the decision.

The US move is likely to have repercussions at the United Nations, particularly within the Security Council’s 1267 Sanctions Committee, a key mechanism for global terror designations. India is expected to push for further international isolation of TRF and its parent Lashkar.

Meanwhile, China, a permanent member of the Security Council which has routinely shielded Pakistan when it comes to sanctioning terrorists, reacted cautiously to the US move.

“China calls on regional countries to enhance counterterrorism cooperation and jointly maintain regional security and stability,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.

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