India Briefs UN Sanctions Committee on Pahalgam Attack, Seeks Terror Tag for Lashkar Proxy TRF
India has urged the United Nations to designate The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy, as a global terrorist group following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
Indian officials on Thursday briefed the monitoring team of the UN Security Council’s 1267 Sanctions Committee on the role of The Resistance Front (TRF) in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 dead — most of them tourists.
India has provided evidence linking TRF to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the Pakistan-based terror outfit already under UN sanctions. The move is part of India’s diplomatic offensive to isolate groups operating with cross-border support.
The briefing, held in New York, marks India’s third attempt to get TRF sanctioned under the UN’s anti-terror regime in the past year, officials said.
Apart from the 1267 Committee, the Indian delegation will meet officials from the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED). These agencies monitor global terror threats and guide UN member states in counter-terror enforcement.
TRF initially claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam massacre before retracting the claim, allegedly under pressure from handlers across the Pakistan border, Indian officials told the UN team.
According to Indian intelligence inputs shared with the UN, TRF was floated to give Lashkar-e-Taiba plausible deniability while continuing terror operations in Kashmir. India has cited consistent patterns of funding, recruitment, and weapons supply linking TRF to LeT.
The delegation emphasized that the recent attack highlights the urgent need for TRF’s designation to disrupt its financing and movement across international borders.
The UNSC’s 1267 Committee oversees sanctions against individuals and entities linked to al-Qaeda, ISIS, and associated groups. Sanctions include asset freezes, travel bans, and arms embargoes.
In December 2023, India had similarly briefed the UN on the operations of LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad through fronts like TRF in Jammu and Kashmir. Despite previous submissions in May and November 2024, the designation of TRF has not yet been approved due to geopolitical hurdles, particularly objections from China, a UNSC permanent member.
With mounting evidence and global concern over Pakistan-based terror infrastructure, India hopes this fresh push will lead to formal UN sanctions on TRF.
“The Pahalgam attack is a grim reminder of Pakistan’s continued use of terror as state policy. We are committed to holding these proxies accountable globally,” an Indian official told reporters.
