Pakistan rejects US linking of banned group to Pahalgam attack

• FO spokesperson rejects reported linkage between TRF and LeT, stating the group had been comprehensively dismantled
• Criticizes India for what it called the misuse of terrorism-related designations for political purposes
• Reiterates Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and pursues a policy of zero tolerance
• Urges Int’l community to adopt indiscriminate policy towards terrorism and designate Majeed Brigade as an alias of the banned BLA

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday rejected allegations linking a defunct banned group to the April 22 attack in Indian-illegally occupied Kashmir, after the United States ‘designated “The Resistance Front (TRF),” considered an offshoot of the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as a “foreign terrorist organization,” according to a foreign office statement on Friday.

FO Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan, in a statement, reaffirmed the country’s firm commitment to counterterrorism, reiterating that Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and pursues a policy of zero tolerance.

“Pakistan has been, and continues to be, a frontline state in the fight against terrorism,” the statement said, highlighting Islamabad’s contributions to global peace, including the recent arrest of Sharifullah, identified as the mastermind of the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul, ”the FO spokesperson said.

Pakistan breaks the silence with facts.
India’s propaganda meets a firm, official rebuttal.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office reaffirms its zero-tolerance policy on terrorism and exposes the political misuse of global designations. pic.twitter.com/u370dBUh6u

— Mansoor Ahmed Qureshi (@MansurQr) July 18, 2025

The US designation came after TRF was accused of carrying out the April 22 Pahalgam attack, a resort town in the Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people. U.S. authorities alleged the group is an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which was banned in Pakistan years ago.

Responding to the development, the FO statement said that investigations into the Pahalgam incident remained inconclusive. It rejected the reported linkage between TRF and LeT, stating that the group concerned had been comprehensively dismantled, with its leadership prosecuted and its members rehabilitated.

The statement also criticized India for what it called the misuse of terrorism-related designations for political purposes. “India has a record of exploiting such matters to promote anti-Pakistan propaganda and to divert attention from its ongoing human rights violations in Indian-controlled Kashmir,” the ministry said.

The FO spokesperson urged the international community to adopt a balanced, evidence-based approach in combating terrorism and called for equal scrutiny of all terrorist entities. In this regard, it emphasized the need to designate the Majeed Brigade as an alias of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

Reaffirming its role as a counter-terrorism bulwark, the FO statement called for collective global efforts to address the threat of terrorism through objective and non-discriminatory policies.