New Delhi [India], July 19 (ANI): After the United States designated The Resistance Front (TRF) as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), Union Minister Pralhad Joshi welcomed the move and said it reflected India's success in exposing Pakistan's role in cross-border terrorism.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Joshi said, 'India is making efforts to tell the world that Pakistan is involved in all the cross-border terrorist activities happening in the country. Some countries are taking time to get convinced, but the government of India was able to convince the world that Pakistan is trying to destabilise India with cross-border terrorism.'

The designation comes after TRF claimed responsibility for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that killed 26 civilians and led to a four-day military escalation between India and Pakistan.

Reacting to these, Retired Lieutenant General KJS Dhillon, who served as Corps Commander in Kashmir from 2019 to 2020, also welcomed the US move.

'This is the first time during that period that this name came to the fore. TRF is nothing but a front of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Since Lashkar-e-Taiba was getting internationally banned, that is when they came out with this TRF...Initially, this came up as an online name which subsequently started claiming all the terrorist actions of Lashkar-e-Taiba, including the Pahalgam attack...,' Dhillon told ANI.

He added, 'It is a very welcome step that it has been designated as a terrorist organisation and designated as a foreign terrorist organisation, and Pakistan now should be designated as a terrorist state.'

Meanwhile, TRF was founded in 2019, shortly after the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, as part of Pakistan's hybrid warfare strategy. The group targets civilians, minorities, tourists, and security personnel in the Union Territory. According to sources, TRF has employed ex-SSG commandos from the Pakistan Army, including one Hashim Musa, to carry out its attacks.

The Resistance Front (TRF), a Pakistan-backed militant Proxy in Kashmir, focuses on terror attacks, recruitment and propaganda, they said.

Its key leadership, including founder Muhammad Abbas Sheikh and Basit Ahmed Dar, Operational Chief, is dead. Its Supreme Commander, Sheikh Sajjad Gul, is reportedly active, sources added.

There are also reports that the headquarters of the TRF may be shifting from Muridke to Bahawalpur in Pakistan.

Reacting to the designation, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday welcomed the US decision, calling it a 'strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation.'

'Appreciate SecRubio and @StateDept for designating TRF, a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) proxy, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). It claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Zero tolerance for terrorism,' Jaishankar posted on the social media platform X.

In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that TRF, which is a known proxy of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, under US anti-terrorism laws, had claimed responsibility for the Pahalagam terror attack. (ANI)