Pahalgam: US terror-tags Pakistan’s proxy TRF, will China follow suit now or continue shielding it at UN?

After the United States designated Pakistan-based The Resistance Front (TRF) as a terrorist organisation, all eyes are on China whether it will follow suit.

The TRF had claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack in which terrorists killed 26 people. It is considered to be a proxy of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which has been plotting and carrying out terrorist acts against India for years. The LeT was behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

For years, China has blocked the designation of Pakistan-based jihadist groups and leaders as terrorists at the United Nations (UN). In its own reports as well, China has refused to mention or has downplayed Pakistani jihadists that attack India.

The US Department of State on Friday designated the TRF as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).

“TRF, a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) front and proxy, claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack which killed 26 civilians. This was the deadliest attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks conducted by LeT. TRF has also claimed responsibility for several attacks against Indian security forces, including most recently in 2024,” the Department of State said in a statement.

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All eyes on China

In the past, India has reacted sharply to China blocking moves to list Pakistan-based jihadists as terrorists at the UN.

China has blocked terrorist listings without providing reasons and has often resorted to procedural delays instead of a veto.

“This is a disguised veto, but an even more impervious one that indeed merits a discussion amongst the wider membership. For genuine evidence-based listing proposals for globally sanctioned terrorists to be blocked without giving any due justification is uncalled for and smacks of doublespeak when it comes to the council’s commitment in tackling the challenge of terrorism,” Ruchira Kamboj, India’s then-UN envoy, said last year.

Earlier this year, India in May submitted a detailed dossier to the UN Security Counci to seek TRF’s designation as a global terror group. Even as the dossier included intelligence findings on the TRF’s funding, handlers, and leadership ties to LeT, China blocked the move by putting a ’technical hold’, which is a procedural delay used by permanent UNSC members to avoid open vetoes.

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China is a UNSC permanent member along with the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Russia.

Previously, China has also blocked the designation of individual terrorists like Masood Azhar (2009-19), Abdul Rauf Azhar (2022-23), Sajid Mir (2022-23), and Shahid Mahmood (2022-23).

In its own report, China excluded TRF from the list of active terrorist groups, but included the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Majeed Brigade of the BLA.

Timeline of China blocking TRF’s listing

• April 22: The TRF claims responsibility for the Pahalgam attack.1

• Early May: India submits dossier to the UN 1267 Sanctions Committee for TRF’s listing.

• Mid-May 2025: China places a ’technical hold’ on the listing, preventing consensus on TRF listing.

• June 2025: The UN Monitoring Team’s mid-year report omits TRF and Chinese official Chungjie Li is accused of bias.

• July 17: The United States independently designates TRF as Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist.