Islamabad: In a controversial statement in Pakistan’s Parliament, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar openly defended The Resistance Front (TRF), a Pakistan-backed militant group which is linked to the Pahalgam attack and designated by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) on the other day.

On July 18, the US officially listed TRF — a known proxy of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) — as both an FTO and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). The group has been linked to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam of Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. US authorities have confirmed the group’s ties to LeT and its public claim of responsibility for the assault.

During his address, Dar admitted that Pakistan, in its capacity as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), lobbied to exclude TRF’s name from the UNSC statement condemning the Pahalgam attack.

“We opposed the mention of TRF in the UNSC statement. I got calls from global capitals, but Pakistan will not accept,” Dar told the House. “TRF was deleted, and Pakistan prevailed.”

He went further, questioning the legitimacy of linking TRF to the attack. “We don’t consider TRF illegal. Show us proof they carried out the Pahalgam attack. Show ownership by TRF. We won’t accept the allegation,” Dar said — despite TRF's own public claim and intelligence assessments from both India and the US connecting it to LeT.

Earlier, in a press release, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the designation of TRF as a terrorist organisation, announcing financial sanctions that would block the group’s access to any assets or support within American jurisdiction.

“TRF, a Lashkar-e-Taiba front and proxy, claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack which killed 26 civilians,” the US State Department stated, adding that the group has also claimed multiple attacks on Indian security forces, including several in 2024.

Rubio described the Pahalgam massacre as "the deadliest assault on civilians in India since 2008”, and said the designation underscored the Trump administration’s resolve to safeguard US national interests and hold terror groups accountable.

Meanwhile, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar welcomed the US move, calling it a strong demonstration of India-US cooperation against terrorism. He posted on X.