The Pahalgam terror strike, which has so far killed 26 civilians, including two foreigners, has been attributed to the Resistance Front, a branch of Lashkar-e-Taiba.
A cell of militants who arose from the thick forests around the trekking haven of the Baisaran meadows in the upper reaches of Pahalgam in the Anantnag region of Jammu and Kashmir planned the attack.
The non-motorable location, which is popular with honeymooners, hikers, and adventure seekers, was used by the terrorists, whose numbers could not be immediately determined, to target tourists and make sure that any assistance from authorities would take time to reach them, officials said. Even though the security agencies did not confirm the veracity of the claim, the outfit alleged that the attack was to retaliate 85,000 domicile certificates issued to non-locals, thus “creating a pathway for demographic change” in the Union Territory. “Violence will be directed toward those attempting to settle illegally,” it said in a statement.
Months after the Center split Jammu and Kashmir and revoked Article 370, which granted the former State special status, the Resistance Front, also known as the TRF, was established in October 2019. The Ministry of Home Affairs claimed it is a front for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), despite the fact that it portrays itself as an independent terrorist group fighting for “Kashmiri resistance.” In 2023, the group was prohibited by the MHA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
According to the Ministry, the group was using internet platforms to recruit young people in order to promote terrorist activities. It had also been involved in spreading propaganda about terrorist activities, recruiting terrorists, infiltrating terrorists, and smuggling weapons and drugs into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan.
Sheikh Sajjad Gul, a commander of TRF was also designated as a terrorist under the UAPA. “A large number of cases have been registered against the members/associates of the TRF relating to planning of killings of security force personnel and innocent civilians of Jammu and Kashmir, co-coordinating and transporting weapons to support proscribed terrorist organisation, etc.,” a ministry notification said while announcing the ban.
The Resistance Front (TRF) has previously attacked Kashmir’s religious minorities, including Pandits, as well as non-Kashmiris. Among the TRF’s accomplishments are the 2021 murders of prominent chemist Makhan Lal Pandita and school principal Supinder Kaur, the 2024 murders of civilians employed by a private construction company in Ganderbal, the 2023 Anantnag encounter, and the 2024 Reasi pilgrims attack.
In 2020, the gang murdered Babar Qadri, a Kashmiri activist who had strong opinions about secession, militancy, and how the Indian government handled the Kashmir problem.
Perceived as a faceless and technologically advanced group, the TRF recorded attacks on the Army and CRPF in Kashmir using body cams like the GoPro and shared the footage on social media to “inspire” new members.
Locals who had received training in Pakistan made up the TRF’s first cadre. According to a police complaint, they returned via Wagah after traveling on passports. Furthermore, the LoC is being used to send young, skilled militants to Kashmir.
When security forces murdered the group’s “commander,” Abbas Sheikh, a Kulgam local, in an encounter in Srinagar in August 2021, they were able to weaken the group’s ability to carry out an attack. Basit Dar, a TRF militant classified as a “A” and implicated in over 18 cases, was killed in an anti-militancy operation in May 2024.
