Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday welcomed the United States’ decision to designate The Resistance Front (TRF), a Pakistan-backed proxy of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). The move comes in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed 26 lives, for which TRF claimed responsibility.

Calling the designation a “significant step,” Tharoor said it would increase diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to clamp down on terror groups operating from its soil. “This will help bring Pakistan to heel,” he wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), noting that the move aligns US policy more closely with India’s long-standing concerns about cross-border terrorism.

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US must reassess Pakistan’s “safe haven” status: Tharoor

In his post, Tharoor revealed insights from his recent trip to Washington, where he questioned American officials about the United States’ continued leniency towards Pakistan despite its record of sheltering terrorist organisations. “When I asked why the US still allows Pakistan to provide a safe haven to terror groups, I was told that it was due to Pakistan’s alleged cooperation in counterterrorism operations,” Tharoor wrote.

He cited, in particular, Pakistan’s handover of a suspect believed to be behind the Abbey Gate bombing at Kabul airport in 2021, which killed 23 US Marines. However, Tharoor expresses skepticism, stating that India’s own experiences with Pakistan-backed terror networks cast doubt on Islamabad’s commitment to tackling terrorism.

“Our scepticism about the sincerity of Pakistani action is rooted in experience,” he said, referring to groups like LeT and TRF, which are active against Indian targets but often escape international scrutiny.

Tharoor noted that the US decision to blacklist TRF would bolster India’s campaign to formally list the group in international forums like the United Nations. “This is a step towards bridging the perception gap between the US and India. It strengthens our efforts to list TRF globally,” he said.

The US State Department statement, released by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, confirmed TRF’s role in the Pahalgam massacre and other attacks against Indian interests. Rubio called the group a “direct proxy of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba” and reiterated the Trump administration’s intent to seek justice for victims of terrorism and protect US national security.

Operation Sindoor

Following the Pahalgam massacre, India launched a counterterror military operation in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. In parallel, the Indian government rolled out Operation Sindoor, a diplomatic offensive to rally global support against cross-border terrorism.

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As part of this initiative, the PM Modi government deployed Shashi Tharoor to lead a cross-party delegation to the United States and several Latin American nations.