'We've dismantled the network': Pak denies LeT link to Pahalgam attack

Pakistan on Friday asserted that it had already "dismantled" the terrorist network linked to Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT), and said any attempt to connect the recent Pahalgam terror attack to the now-defunct group was against the reality.

A day after the United States designated The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT), as a global terrorist entity for its role in the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan on Friday pushed back, claiming it had “dismantled” the terrorist network and rejected any suggestion linking LeT to the assault in Kashmir.

In a statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Office dismissed any ties to the attack and reiterated its position on counter-terrorism. "Pakistan has effectively and comprehensively dismantled concerned outfits, arrested and prosecuted the leadership, and deradicalised its cadres,” the statement said.

The response came after the US State Department added TRF to its list of “Foreign Terrorist Organizations,” directly linking it to LeT and holding it responsible for the Pahalgam attack in which 26 people were killed.

Calling LeT a “defunct organisation banned in Pakistan,” the Foreign Office added, “any linkage with LeT... belies ground realities.” It also emphasised that investigations into the attack remain “inconclusive.”

Pakistan sought to burnish its image as a committed counter-terrorism ally. “Pakistan condemns terrorism in all forms and manifestations, has zero tolerance against terrorism, and it is the cornerstone of its policy to cooperate internationally against terrorism,” the statement said.

The TRF claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack, but later backtracked as tensions soared between India and Pakistan.

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With inputs from PTI

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