India welcomes U.S. listing of The Resistance Front as global terrorist outfit

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar described Washington's decision on The Resistance Force (TRF) as a "strong affirmation" of India-U.S. counter-terrorism cooperation

The Government of India on Friday (July 18, 2025) welcomed the U.S. Government’s decision to designate The Resistance Front (TRF) as a ‘Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO)’ and as a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) outfit. Indicating India’s international campaign to further action against terror outfits based on Pakistani soil, the Ministry of External Affairs said that India’s cooperation with international partners will continue to ensure “that terrorist organizations and their proxies are held accountable”.

“The TRF, a proxy of the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), has been involved in numerous terror-related activities, including the heinous attack on civilians in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025 for which it twice claimed responsibility,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs in response to the U.S. designation of the TRF.

Earlier, the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had announced the Trump administration’s decision to add the TRF to the list of Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist outfits. Mr Rubio said the decision on the TRF “demonstrates” the Trump administration’s “commitment to protecting our national security interests, countering terrorism, and enforcing President Trump’s call for justice for the Pahalgam attack.”

India had launched a campaign blaming the TRF for the Pahalgam attack but the U.N. Security Counil passed a resolution 25 April that condemned the attack but stopped short of naming the TRF. After Operation Sindoor that targeted terror bases in Pakistan, India sent a delegation to the United Nations campaigning for tough action against the TRF. Concerns on terrorism featured also in the July 2, 2025 Quad Foreign Ministers meeting held in Washington DC where a joint statement “strongly” condemned the Pahalgam attack.

“India has consistently emphasized the need for global cooperation in the fight against terrorism and the dismantlinig of terror infrastructure. The designation of TRF is a timely and important step reflecting the deep cooperation between India and the United States on counter-terrorism,” said the MEA in appreciation of the designation of the TRF.

“India remains committed to a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism and will continue to work closely with its international partners to ensure that terrorist organizations and their proxies are held accountable,” said the MEA appreciating the support from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.