UNSC Report Confirms TRF’s Role in Pahalgam Terror Attack, Calls Out Lashkar-e-Taiba Link

A new United Nations Security Council (UNSC) report has clearly identified The Resistance Front (TRF)—a group based in Pakistan and linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)—as responsible for the April 22, 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that killed 26 civilians at a popular tourist site.

According to the UNSC 1267 Monitoring Team’s July 2025 report, five terrorists carried out the strike, and TRF immediately claimed responsibility for the attack not once but twice. It even published a photo from the site on the same day. But four days later, TRF withdrew its claim—a move that has drawn international attention. Importantly, no other group has claimed responsibility, making TRF’s role all the more significant.

What makes this report a diplomatic breakthrough for India is that this is the first time since 2019 that a Pakistan-backed group like LeT or its proxy has been explicitly named in a UNSC document. The move reinforces India’s long-standing position that Pakistan sponsors terrorism in Kashmir while trying to mask its role through newer group names like TRF, which are often presented as homegrown or secular.

Interestingly, the report also highlights differences among UNSC member countries. One country noted that the attack couldn’t have occurred without LeT’s support, and described TRF as essentially another name for Lashkar-e-Taiba. But another member claimed that LeT was defunct, indicating disagreement over how deeply the two groups are connected.

Still, the inclusion of TRF in the Monitoring Team report comes despite Pakistan’s efforts to have the group omitted from official UNSC communications. Earlier, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar claimed success in removing TRF’s name from a press statement condemning the attack. But this new report—backed by inputs and evidence shared by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)—puts TRF back in the spotlight, along with Pakistan’s role in sheltering it.

Since December 2023, India has been providing detailed dossiers on TRF to the UN and held multiple briefings with UNSC members. After the Pahalgam incident, India also launched Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Overall, the UNSC Monitoring Team’s findings confirm:

• TRF’s involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack;

• Its direct links to Lashkar-e-Taiba;

• The group’s published image from the attack site;

• And the widening concerns that Pakistan-based terror outfits are exploiting India-Pakistan tensions.

Because UNSC Monitoring Team reports are adopted by consensus, this one holds serious diplomatic weight. It signals that the international community is increasingly aligned with India’s counter-terrorism narrative, and puts added pressure on Pakistan’s attempts to deny or downplay its terror links in the region.