Ishaq Dar Says Pakistan Has No Issue with U.S. Terror Label For TRF

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar has said that Islamabad has no objection to the United States designating The Resistance Front (TRF) as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), while disputing its links to Lashkar-e-Taiba. Dar made these comments shortly after the U.S. officially listed TRF as a terror outfit. The TRF, which both India and the U.S. believe to be a front for the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, had claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

Speaking at an event in Washington D.C., Dar said, "It is obviously a sovereign decision of the United States to designate the TRF. We have no issue. And we welcome, if they have any evidence, that they are involved."

He further denied connections between TRF and Lashkar-e-Taiba, saying, "Linking the TRF to the Lashkar-e-Taiba is wrong. That outfit was dismantled years ago by Pakistan. The actors were prosecuted, arrested and jailed, and the entire outfit was destroyed."

Dar met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier on Friday during his visit.

Reiterating Pakistan's earlier position, Dar referred to Islamabad's move at the United Nations Security Council in April, where Pakistan opposed the inclusion of TRF in a UNSC statement condemning the Pahalgam attacks.

"We opposed the mention of TRF in the UNSC statement. I got calls from global capitals, but Pakistan will not accept. TRF was deleted, and Pakistan prevailed," Dar had said while addressing Pakistan's Parliament at the time. He also emphasized that no conclusive evidence was available then to justify including TRF in the UNSC statement.

Responding to a question from Hindustan Times during Friday's public event, Dar stood by that position, maintaining that Pakistan required credible proof about TRF's activities before it could accept such a designation at the UN level.

India, however, has already listed the TRF as a terrorist group under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in January 2023. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, TRF surfaced in 2019 through social media announcements and has since claimed responsibility for multiple attacks in Jammu and Kashmir-including a grenade attack in Srinagar injuring seven civilians and a spate of targeted killings in 2021.

India has continuously advocated for TRF to be globally recognised as a terrorist organisation, presenting evidence to the UN's 1267 Sanctions Committee in May and November 2024. This effort builds upon its previous push for international designation throughout 2023.