FO says Pakistan has ‘dismantled’ terrorist outfits amid US designation of group blamed for Pahalgam attack

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The Foreign Office (FO) on Friday reaffirmed Pakistan’s stance against terrorism, saying that the country has “effectively and comprehensively dismantled” terrorist outfits.

The statement follows the US State Department’s decision on Thursday to designate a little-known group called The Resistance Front (TRF) — responsible for the Pahalgam attack — as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO) and specially designated global terrorist (SDGT) group.

The April 22 attack — which resulted in the deaths of 26 people — sparked a military confrontation between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan as New Delhi blamed it on Islamabad, which strongly denied the allegations while calling for a neutral investigation.

According to a BBC News report in June, the group had initially said it was behind the attack, but later disowned it.

The US State Department claimed that the little-known group was a “front and proxy” of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

“TRF has also claimed responsibility for several attacks against Indian security forces, including most recently in 2024,” the State Department said in a statement.

In a statement today, the FO said, “Any linkage with LeT, a defunct organisation banned in Pakistan, belies ground realities.

“Pakistan has effectively and comprehensively dismantled concerned outfits, arrested and prosecuted the leadership, and deradicalised its cadres,” it added.

“Pakistan condemns terrorism in all forms and manifestations; zero tolerance, and international cooperation against terrorism are cornerstones of our policy.”

The FO highlighted Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts, including the apprehension of Mohammad Sharifullah, who was the “mastermind” of the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing at Kabul airport.

The statement further said that the investigations into the Pahalgam incident were “still inconclusive”.

“While the issue under consideration pertains to US domestic laws, India has a track record of exploiting such designations to push anti-Pakistan propaganda with a view to divert international attention from its irresponsible and rogue behaviour, including ongoing human rights atrocities, especially in occupied Kashmir,” it added.

The FO’s statement also urged the international community to “adopt objective and non-discriminatory policies” to address terrorism.

“Terrorist organisations like Majeed Brigade must also be listed as [an] alias of BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army),” the FO asserted.

In 2022, an anti-terrorism court awarded a combined sentence of 33 years imprisonment to LeT chief Hafiz Saeed in two cases of terror financing registered by the Counter Terrorism Depart­ment.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global money laundering and terrorism financing watchdog, in 2022 removed Pakistan from a list of countries under “increased monitoring”, also known as the “grey list”, after four years.

“It has two concurrent action plans. After a lot of work by Pakistani authorities, they have largely addressed all of the action plan items,” then-FATF president Raja Kumar said.