Following the repeal of Article 370 and the loss of J&K special status in August 2019, TRF, a stand-in for Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, started out as an online organisation.
Following a devastating terrorist attack on tourists at Baisaran, a remote meadow in South Kashmir’s Pahalgam, at least 26 people were killed and several others injured. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy group of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the attack, according to central agency sources.
In January 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) designated TRF a terrorist organization under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, citing its role in terror propaganda, terrorist recruitment, infiltration, and smuggling of weapons and narcotics from Pakistan into Jammu and Kashmir. The MHA noted that TRF emerged in 2019 as a front for LeT, engaging in psychological operations on social media to incite youth in Jammu and Kashmir to join terrorist groups. The group was described as a rebranded LeT, with Pakistan opting for the term “Resistance” to project an indigenous, secular movement and distance it from religious connotations, amid scrutiny from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The MHA also designated TRF commander Sheikh Sajjad Gul as a terrorist under the UAPA’s Fourth Schedule. The group has been linked to planning attacks on security personnel and civilians, coordinating weapon transport, and supporting banned terrorist organizations. TRF previously issued threats to media houses in Kashmir, accusing them of “traitorous acts,” leading to resignations among journalists.
Formed after the 2019 abrogation of Article 370, which revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, TRF initially operated online before establishing a ground presence as an amalgam of outfits, including Tehreek-e-Millat Islamia and Ghaznavi Hind, alongside LeT. Based in Karachi, TRF aimed to portray itself as a popular resistance movement. By 2020, it began claiming responsibility for attacks across the Valley, distinguishing itself from traditional groups like LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
In 2022, J&K Police identified TRF’s growing influence after busting a module of overground workers in Sopore and Kupwara, recovering arms near the Line of Control at Keran. The arrested workers admitted to recruiting youth for the group. That year, police data indicated TRF accounted for the highest number of militants killed in the Valley. In March 2023, the MHA informed the Rajya Sabha that 54 terrorists and 44 terror organizations, including TRF, had been banned under the UAPA. Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai described TRF as a LeT proxy involved in killings, weapon smuggling, and terrorist recruitment across the border.
