The Resistance Front Linked to J&K Tourist Attack

In a deadly terrorist attack at Baisaran meadow in South Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday, gunmen killed at least 26 tourists and injured several others. Central agency sources said The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow outfit of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the attack.

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In January 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) officially designated The Resistance Front (TRF) as a terrorist organization under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The ministry made this decision after uncovering substantial evidence that TRF had been actively involved in a wide range of terror-related activities in Jammu and Kashmir. Authorities found that TRF had been running coordinated campaigns to spread terror propaganda, recruit militants—particularly targeting vulnerable youth—facilitate the infiltration of terrorists across the border from Pakistan, and smuggle weapons, explosives, and narcotics into Indian territory.

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The MHA also pointed to TRF’s growing influence in the region through its use of digital platforms and encrypted messaging services, which the group used to incite violence, spread extremist ideology, and coordinate attacks. In addition, TRF had issued multiple threats to journalists operating in Kashmir, attempting to intimidate the media and silence voices critical of terrorism. These threats created a climate of fear and directly undermined press freedom in the region. The government acted after monitoring TRF’s sustained efforts to destabilize Jammu and Kashmir, concluding that banning the group under UAPA was necessary to safeguard national security and uphold public order.

TRF Recruits Online, Plots Attacks, Spreads Terror in J&K as LeT Proxy: MHA

In its 2023 notification, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) revealed that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) established The Resistance Front (TRF) in 2019 as its proxy outfit. Since then, TRF has actively advanced LeT’s agenda in Jammu and Kashmir. The group has used digital platforms to radicalize and recruit local youth into terrorism. According to the MHA, TRF has orchestrated terror propaganda campaigns, recruited and infiltrated militants across the border, and smuggled weapons, ammunition, and narcotics from Pakistan into Indian territory.

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