The investigation into the April 22, 2025, terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir—which killed 26 civilians, mostly Hindu tourists—remains officially “inconclusive” according to Pakistan’s foreign ministry, despite mounting international pressure and fresh US sanctions against the suspected group behind the carnage.

The assault, the deadliest on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, triggered a rapid military escalation between India and Pakistan.

The Resistance Front (TRF), initially claimed responsibility for the massacre, characterizing it as retaliation against settled non-locals after the revocation of Kashmir’s special status. TRF, which is widely described by Indian and US officials as a proxy for the UN-designated terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), later withdrew that claim.

The US formally labelled TRF a “Foreign Terrorist Organisation” and “Specially Designated Global Terrorist”, asserting its operational ties to LeT—an assessment endorsed by India and backed by China.

The attack was orchestrated by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives and facilitated by the country’s intelligence services. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) detained two local residents, who confessed to sheltering three Pakistani LeT militants before the killings, providing details that allegedly tie the operation to handlers in Pakistan.

Forensic and digital evidence, including intelligence intercepts, reportedly trace back to safehouses in Muzaffarabad and Karachi. As of late June, the three main suspects are said to be at large, with two identified as Pakistani nationals in LeT leadership and the third—a former Pakistani army special forces member—believed to still be hiding in Kashmir.

Pakistan’s foreign office unequivocally rejects the allegations, claiming that LeT is now a “defunct group” and that all such networks have been comprehensively dismantled, leaders prosecuted, and members deradicalized.

Islamabad maintains that it has implemented a “zero-tolerance policy” for militancy, and accuses India of using terror designations for political gain. Pakistan also called for an independent, neutral investigation, a demand supported by China and Malaysia but dismissed by India, which insists the evidence is unequivocal.

This episode highlights a persistent pattern: high-profile cross-border terrorist attacks followed by international finger-pointing, Pakistani denials and diplomatic standoffs, and investigations in Pakistan that seldom reach definitive conclusions or successful prosecutions.

With the US designating TRF and explicitly referencing its LeT ties, Washington is seen as swinging diplomatic support toward India’s position, particularly as the region’s great power rivalry with China intensifies.

Meanwhile, the core questions of accountability and effective deterrence remain mired in mutual mistrust, blunted probes, and the complexities of South Asian geopolitics.

Agencies