 "Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar")
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar backed the United States’ decision to designate Lashkar-backed The Resistance Front (TRF) as a “terrorist organisation”. This marked a significant shift from Dar’s previous stance on the Pakistan-based terror group.
It is pertinent to note that it was TRF that claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. The attack that rocked India claimed the lives of 26 innocent people. While speaking at an event in Washington, Dar said that Pakistan has “no objection" to the US designation.
However, he went on to claim that linking TRF with Lashkar-e-Taiba is “wrong," without giving any evidence for his assertion. “It is 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," Dar said at the event organised by the Atlantic Council.
The change in stance
Earlier in April, Dar told Pakistan’s parliament that Islamabad had prevented the inclusion of TRF in the United Security Council (UNSC) resolution that condemned the Pahalgam terror attack. “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.
At that time, the Pakistani foreign minister also maintained that Pakistan would need more substantial evidence regarding the TRF’s involvement in terror activities.
Even while responding to the question posed by The Hindustan Times on Friday, Dar defended his claim, saying there was no conclusive proof then to warrant TRF’s inclusion in the UN Security Council statement. It is pertinent to note that India designated The Resistance Front (TRF) as a terrorist outfit under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in January 2023.
The terror group surfaced back in 2019 through online announcements and has since claimed responsibility for several attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, including a grenade attack in Srinagar that injured seven civilians, and a series of targeted killings in 2021.