The United States has designated the group allegedly involved in the April 22 attack in India-held Kashmir’s Pahalgam area as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity — a move that Islamabad views with caution amid New Delhi’s repeated attempts to malign Pakistan without evidence.
The Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 people at the Baisaran hill station, was swiftly blamed on Pakistan by Indian authorities, despite the absence of credible proof. Islamabad has categorically rejected these accusations, terming them part of a long-standing Indian campaign to divert attention from its own actions in the occupied region.
Interestingly, the group in question had initially claimed responsibility for the attack, only to later retract it. Even so, Thursday’s statement from the US State Department appeared to align with India’s narrative, which alleges the group is a “front” for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
India continues to accuse LeT of orchestrating the 2008 Mumbai attacks and other militant operations — a claim Pakistan has consistently refuted in international forums. The US had previously designated LeT as an FTO in December 2001.
One of the earliest mentions of the newly designated group surfaced in 2020, when former Indian army chief Gen. M.M. Naravane controversially described it as a Pakistan-backed “Terror Revival Front”. Pakistan’s Foreign Office had at the time dismissed his remarks as “fabricated and politically motivated”.
A recent BBC News report highlighted the group’s shifting stance on the Pahalgam attack, underscoring the complexity and opacity surrounding its existence and activities. This only adds to Pakistan’s concerns that India is manipulating global opinion to push its political objectives.
In a notable development, former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, during an interview with Indian journalist Karan Thapar, reaffirmed Pakistan’s willingness to cooperate with India on combating emerging terror threats — provided the process remains transparent and free of political exploitation.
As tensions persist, Pakistani officials continue to urge the international community to assess regional terrorism designations with objectivity and not fall prey to India’s politicized narratives.
