The April 22, 2025, attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, marked one of the deadliest assaults on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, leaving 26 tourists dead and at least 20 injured. The massacre, which targeted mostly Hindu male tourists and included one Nepalese national and a local Muslim pony operator, has sharply intensified tensions between India and Pakistan.
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The Resistance Front: Origins And Modus Operandi

The Resistance Front (TRF) quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, though it later retracted the claim. TRF is a relatively new but potent terrorist group in Kashmir, emerging in 2019 after the Indian government revoked the region's special status. The group was formed by combining cadres from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen, two established Pakistan-based terrorist outfits. TRF has been designated a terrorist organisation by India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act since 2023.

Unlike previous insurgent groups in Kashmir, TRF deliberately avoids overtly Islamic nomenclature, instead projecting a "secular" and "indigenous" image. This rebranding is widely seen as an attempt to present Kashmiri terrorism as a local resistance rather than a Pakistan-backed Islamist insurgency, thereby evading international scrutiny-especially from bodies like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Despite this, TRF's attacks have consistently targeted religious minorities, government employees, and security forces, and its leadership and operational links remain closely tied to Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Pakistan’s Alleged Involvement And Diplomatic Fallout

Indian authorities have accused Pakistan of supporting the attack, citing digital evidence and intelligence intercepts linking the operation to safe houses in Muzaffarabad and Karachi. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has traced at least two of the attackers to Pakistan, confirming their association with Lashkar-e-Taiba. In response, India has taken unprecedented diplomatic measures: suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, expelling Pakistani diplomats, closing key borders, and initiating military skirmishes along the Line of Control.

Pakistan has denied any involvement, but the pattern of TRF’s operations and its origins as an LeT front organization have fueled suspicions. Analysts note that TRF’s emergence coincided with increased international pressure on Pakistan to curb cross-border terrorism, prompting the creation of groups with ostensibly local branding to provide plausible deniability.

The Pahalgam attack is not just a security crisis but a direct challenge to India’s efforts to restore normalcy and promote tourism in Kashmir. It also comes at a time of heightened domestic and international attention, including the arrival of the US vice president and recent legislative changes affecting Muslim community rights in India. The timing and brutality of the attack appear calculated to provoke a severe Indian response and further destabilize the region.

Conclusion

The Resistance Front, while presenting itself as a local nationalist movement, is widely recognized as a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, with operational and logistical support traced to Pakistan. The Pahalgam massacre has not only shattered the fragile peace in Kashmir but has also brought India and Pakistan-two nuclear-armed neighbours-dangerously close to open conflict, underscoring the persistent volatility of the region and the enduring threat posed by proxy terrorist groups.

AT News