A day after US tags TRF for Pahalgam, Pakistan hits panic mode, China ducks

A day after the United States designated The Resistance Front (TRF) — a Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy — as a global terrorist group, Pakistan lashed out with denials and anti-India rhetoric, while China, its closest ally, issued a cautious response amid growing international pressure.

The US move, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, labels TRF as both a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), marking a significant escalation in Washington’s stance against Pakistan-linked terror groups.

The designation follows the brutal Pahalgam massacre, where 26 civilians — mostly tourists — were killed in what American officials have called the deadliest attack on Indian civilians since 2008.

Despite TRF openly claiming responsibility for the killings, Islamabad swiftly rejected any Lashkar connection, calling the group a “defunct organisation banned in Pakistan” and claiming it had dismantled related networks. Indian agencies, however, have already shared evidence linking TRF to LeT with international partners.

Pakistan also used the moment to resurface its long-standing position on Jammu and Kashmir, accusing India of using the terrorist label for “propaganda” and to deflect attention from alleged human rights violations. It insisted that the global counter-terrorism agenda must avoid “selective targeting,” calling for groups like the Majeed Brigade of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) to be similarly sanctioned.

India welcomed the U.S. action and is expected to push for TRF’s designation under the United Nations Security Council’s 1267 Sanctions Committee — a move that has historically faced resistance from China. Beijing, in its first statement since the designation, urged “regional countries to enhance counterterrorism cooperation,” without directly addressing the TRF or its LeT roots.

China’s restrained response highlights its balancing act: publicly supporting counterterrorism while shielding Pakistani allies from multilateral sanctions. This pattern of strategic ambiguity has often strained India-China ties, particularly at the UN, where China has repeatedly blocked efforts to blacklist Pakistan-based terrorists.