'You Don't Get A Pass, You Get Justice': US House Foreign Affairs Panel Hails TRF Terror Tag

Last Updated:July 21, 2025, 12:46 IST

The panel also reiterated its criticism of global media coverage of the Pahalgam attack, accusing outlets of downplaying what it called a clear act of terrorism

Designating TRF as Foreign Terrorist Organisation carries significant legal ramifications, including stringent financial sanctions. (AP Image)

The US Republican Majority on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs has welcomed the designation of Pakistan-based The Resistance Front (TRF) as a global terrorist outfit. The group, which the US designated as a proxy of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) in its announcement, was labelled both a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).

“The Resistance Front is a foreign terrorist organization and deserves the designation," the committee’s official X handle posted. “When you butcher civilians, you don’t get a pass—you get JUSTICE."

The announcement was made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, less than three months after the April 22 massacre in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where TRF claimed responsibility for the killing of 26 civilians. It was one of the deadliest attacks targeting civilians in the region in recent years.

The Resistance Front first emerged in Kashmir in 2019, shortly after the abrogation of Article 370. It was widely seen as an attempt by Lashkar-e-Tayyiba to rebrand its operations under a new name to avoid global scrutiny. Since then, TRF has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, many of which have targeted off-duty security personnel, civilians from outside the region, and minority communities.

The FTO and SDGT designations trigger sweeping measures including financial sanctions, asset freezes, visa bans, and criminal penalties for those providing any form of material support to the group.

TRF, the State Department noted, serves as a front for LeT, an internationally proscribed terror group, and operates to obscure the latter’s direct involvement in attacks. Indian authorities have repeatedly raised concerns over such proxy outfits being used to bypass global sanctions.

On July 19, the committee also cited its earlier post from April 23, in which it had criticised international media coverage of the Pahalgam attack — particularly a New York Times headline that read: “At Least 24 Tourists Gunned Down by Militants in Kashmir." At the time, the committee had responded with a corrected graphic, replacing the word “militants" with “terrorists" in bold red, writing: “Hey, @nytimes, we fixed it for you. This was a terrorist attack plain and simple. Whether it’s India or Israel, when it comes to terrorism, the NYT is removed from reality."

Reposting that on July 19, the committee reaffirmed: “It was a terrorist attack — simple and straightforward."

The House Foreign Affairs Committee is a permanent committee in the US House of Representatives. It handles bills and investigations related to America’s foreign relations.

The latest US action is expected to bolster international scrutiny of Pakistan-based terror proxies, particularly at forums like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), where the country’s counterterror commitments remain under watch.

India welcomed the US decision, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar describing it as a “strong affirmation" of India-US counter-terror cooperation.

“Appreciate @SecRubio and @StateDept for designating TRF—a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) proxy—as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). It claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Zero tolerance for Terrorism. #OpSindoor," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar posted on X.

News world 'You Don't Get A Pass, You Get Justice': US House Foreign Affairs Panel Hails TRF Terror Tag