Pakistan rejects ‘TRF-LeT’ link after US terror designation, calls for objective global CT approach

Pakistan on Friday rejected the alleged link between the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and The Resistance Front (TRF), recently designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organisation.

In a statement issued by the Foreign Office, Islamabad reiterated its zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and stressed that Pakistan remains a frontline state in the global counterterrorism effort.

It highlighted Pakistan’s contributions, including the recent apprehension of Sharifullah, the alleged mastermind of the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul.

The development comes after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the designation of TRF following an April 2025 attack in Pahalgam, located in the internationally recognised disputed territory of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK), which killed 26 people.

Rubio claimed TRF is an offshoot of LeT, the group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

While investigations into the Pahalgam incident remain inconclusive, Pakistan rejected any association with LeT, saying it is a defunct organisation already dismantled within the country.

“Pakistan has effectively prosecuted the leadership and deradicalised cadres of such outfits,” the statement said.

The Foreign Office warned that India has a record of exploiting terrorism-related designations for propaganda purposes.

“India uses such designations to divert global attention from its ongoing human rights violations in IIOJK and its rogue behaviour in the region,” it said.

Pakistan also urged the international community to pursue an objective and non-discriminatory approach to terrorism, calling for equal attention to other groups such as the Balochistan-based Majeed Brigade, which it said should be listed as an alias of the banned BLA.

“Pakistan’s counterterrorism role is globally acknowledged, and its sacrifices are unmatched,” the statement added. “Tackling terrorism demands collective international efforts, not selective attribution or politicization.”