Pahalgam terror attack: What we know about The Resistance Front and main plotter Saifullah Khalid

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The Resistance Front (TRF), a Pakistan-backed terror group, claimed responsibility for a deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, killing 28. This incident, occurring before the Amarnath Yatra, highlights TRF’s opposition to Kashmir’s integration with India and its threats against non-local settlers. The outfit, a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba, aims to disrupt regional stability through violence and recruitment.

NEW DELHI: The Resistance Front (TRF), a Pakistan-backed terror outfit, has claimed responsibility for the ghastly attack in Jammu and Kashmir‘s Pahalgam region, which killed 28 people.

The attack has sent shockwaves through the region just weeks ahead of the Amarnath Yatra, a period when Jammu and Kashmir typically sees a surge in tourist activity.

“More than 85,000 domiciles have been issued to non-locals, creating a pathway for demographic change in Indian-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJK). These non-locals arrive posing as tourists, obtain domiciles, and then being to act as if they own the land. Consequently, violence will be directed toward those attempting to settle illegally,” the TRF said.

LeT’s top commander Saifullah Kasuri, alias Khalid, is suspected to be one of the plotters, according to an intelligence assessment. The role of two Rawalkot-based Lashkar commanders, one of whom is Abu Musa, is also under scrutiny, sources said.

Who is Saifullah Khalid?

Saifullah Kasuri (Khalid) was designated for acting for or on behalf of LeT.

Khalid was introduced as the President of the MML and spoke about the party’s formation, aims, and objectives, during an August 8, 2017 press conference, according to the US Treasury.

Khalid is also the head of LeT’s Peshawar headquarters, and served on Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD)’s Coordination Committee for Central Punjab Province. JuD was designated by the Department of State as an alias of LeT pursuant to E.O. 13224 in April 2016, and was added to the United Nations 1267/1988 Sanctions list as an alias of LeT in December 2008.

What is The Resistance Front?

The Resistance Front (TRF) is a relatively new yet deadly terrorist outfit that emerged in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

Established in 2019, TRF orchestrated several terrorist incidents, including the November 26 Mumbai attacks.

The government proscribed TRF last year for its involvement in online recruitment of youth for terrorist activities, facilitating infiltration of terrorists, and coordinating weapons and narcotics smuggling from Pakistan into J&K.

A notification issued by the MHA said, “The Resistance Front came into existence in the year 2019 as a proxy outfit of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a proscribed terrorist organisation listed at serial number 5 of the first schedule under the UAPA.”

The organisation’s commander, Sheikh Sajjad Gul, has been classified as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967.

TRF has executed numerous assaults on civilians, security personnel, and political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir. Intelligence reports indicate that Pakistani state entities, particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), provide support to maintain regional instability.

The initial emergence of TRF was noted following an extended four-day armed confrontation near the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara’s Keran Sector, beginning April 1, 2020.

Police records indicate that five infiltrators from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) caught security forces off guard by occupying a difficult-to-access area in Keran, maintaining their position for over five days in deep snow. These highly trained and determined militants were neutralised only after the Army’s special forces engaged in a prolonged battle. The operation resulted in the loss of five soldiers, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO).

In a separate incident, militants attacked a construction site in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir in October 2024, resulting in the deaths of a local doctor and six migrant labourers. The banned organisation TRF took responsibility for this Ganderbal incident as well.

Each narrative and propaganda from TRF aims to obstruct initiatives for Kashmir’s integration with India. Following their recent attacks, TRF released a ‘Strategy Note’ stating their intention to target and prevent non-local business ventures and oppose the issuance of domicile certificates to outsiders, according to the ORF.

Previously, on May 30, 2019, TRF had announced—”We openly declare that any Indian who comes with the intention to settle in Kashmir will be treated as an agent of RSS and not a civilian, and will be dealt with appropriately.” Operating under the slogan ‘Resistance till Victory’, TRF maintains a focused agenda of opposing Kashmir’s development whilst sustaining their separatist objectives.

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