The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Monitoring Team (MT) report of July 2025 explicitly identifies The Resistance Front (TRF), a Pakistan-based proxy group linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as responsible for the terror attack on April 22, 2025, in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

The report states that five terrorists carried out the attack targeting a tourist site, resulting in the deaths of 26 civilians. TRF initially claimed responsibility twice and published a photograph of the attack site on the same day, but retracted its claim four days later. No other group claimed responsibility.

This report marks the first time since 2019 that a Pakistan-based terror group such as LeT or its proxy has been explicitly mentioned in a UNSC document, representing a significant diplomatic victory for India.

The findings support India's long-standing position on the involvement of Pakistan-backed terror groups in Jammu and Kashmir, puncturing Pakistan's strategy of "plausible deniability" that uses groups like TRF under secular or local-sounding names to mask Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e-Mohammed’s role.

The UNSC report highlights divergent views among member states regarding the ties between TRF and LeT: one member state claimed the attack could not have happened without Lashkar-e-Taiba's support and described TRF as synonymous with LeT, while another member state argued that LeT was defunct.

Nonetheless, the report underscores the fragility of regional relations between India and Pakistan and the risk that terrorist groups could exploit these tensions further.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had earlier boasted in its National Assembly about pressures that succeeded in removing any mention of TRF from a UNSC press statement condemning the Pahalgam attack.

Despite this, the Monitoring Team report includes TRF, demonstrating the international community’s recognition of Pakistan’s involvement in supporting terrorism in Kashmir and India's credibility in counter-terrorism at the UN.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been actively providing detailed inputs on TRF since December 2023 and conducted briefings for the UNSC Monitoring Team and member states. Following the Pahalgam attack, India also launched Operation Sindoor to target terror infrastructures linked to Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

In summary, the UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee Monitoring Team report:

Confirms TRF's involvement and claim of the Pahalgam attack on April 22, 2025.

Links TRF as a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba, marking the first such mention in UNSC documents since 2019.

Notes the publication of a photo of the attack site by TRF as part of its claim.

Discusses differing member state views on TRF-LeT relations but emphasizes the risk of terrorism exploiting regional tensions.

Represents a diplomatic win for India, undermining Pakistan's denials and manipulation attempts over terror sponsorship in Jammu and Kashmir.

This report is significant because Monitoring Team reports of the UNSC’s 1267 Sanctions Committee are adopted by consensus, reflecting the collective agreement of Security Council members and lending strong international legitimacy to India’s position on Pakistan-backed terrorism in Kashmir.

Based On ANI Report