Pakistan says Kashmir tourist attack probe ‘inconclusive' as US blacklists militant group
The group in question, The Resistance Front (TRF), also known as Kashmir Resistance, was blacklisted by Washington on Thursday as a 'foreign terrorist organization' and 'specially designated global terrorist' in connection with the April 22 attack in Pahalgam.
In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the group had claimed responsibility for the assault before withdrawing its statement, and described TRF as a 'front and proxy' of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based outfit banned under US law.
Responding to the development, Pakistan's foreign office said it had 'zero tolerance' for militant entities, though any link between TRF and Lashkar-e-Taiba 'belies ground realities,' noting the latter was a defunct group that had been banned in Pakistan.
'Investigations into the Pahalgam incident, that happened in the internationally recognized disputed region of IIOJK, are still inconclusive,' the statement read, using Pakistan's official abbreviation for Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
'Pakistan has effectively and comprehensively dismantled concerned outfits, arrested and prosecuted the leadership, and deradicalized its cadres,' it continued.
The foreign office also said India had a track record of leveraging such terror listings to deflect global scrutiny from its human rights record in Kashmir and elsewhere.
'India has a track record of exploiting such designations to push anti-Pakistan propaganda with a view to divert international attention from its irresponsible and rogue behavior, including ongoing human rights atrocities, especially in IIOJK,' the statement said.
Pakistan cited its cooperation with international partners against extremist groups and the arrest of high-profile militants, including Sharifullah, the alleged mastermind of the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul that killed 13 US service members and about 170 Afghan civilians.
In April, after India blamed Pakistan for the Pahalgam attack, Islamabad called for a neutral and impartial investigation.
The attack triggered days of cross-border hostilities, with India targeting what it described as 'terrorist infrastructure' in Pakistan on May 7. The escalation — involving missiles, drones and artillery — left dozens dead before a ceasefire was announced on May 10.
The foreign office said Pakistan urged the international community to adopt 'objective and non-discriminatory policies' on counterterrorism and called for other groups, such as the Majeed Brigade of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), to be designated under US law.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the BLA and other separatist groups operating in the volatile southwestern province of Balochistan of being Indian proxies, a claim New Delhi denies.
With input from Reuters
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