The Resistance Front: The Terror Outfit Driving India-Pakistan To War

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The Resistance Front (TRF) has claimed responsibility for the attack. A hitherto lesser-known armed group in the Kashmir region, TRF emerged in 2019 with the aim of fighting for Kashmir's secession from India.

In 2023, it was designated as a terrorist organization by the Indian government under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) , and the group's founder, Sheikh Sajjad Gul was declared a terrorist.

TRF was formed largely in response to the Indian government's move to strip Kashmir (India's erstwhile only Muslim-majority state) of its semi-autonomous status in 2019. At this point, the Modi government split Kashmir into two union territories – Jammu & Kashmir – and brought it under more direct federal control.

The move also paved the way for the extension of land-owning rights and access to government-sponsored job quotas to non-locals. These changes could deprive locals of much-needed opportunities and radically alter the demographics of the region.

In a message on the messaging app Telegram, the group said :“Consequently, violence will be directed toward those attempting to settle illegally.” This tends to support the idea that the influx of“outsiders” was the justification for the attack.

In its short life, TRF has been responsible for numerous attacks targeting civilians, security forces and politicians in the region. The group took shape using social media and continues to rely on it to organize and recruit members.

Notably, the name TRF breaks from traditional rebel groups operating in the region , most of whom bear Islamic names. By doing so, it supposedly aims to project a“neutral” (read as non-religious) front, rather emphasizing the fight for Kashmiri nationalism.

Was Pakistan involved?

The group is also reported to be linked to the Pakistani spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Pakistan has denied these links. But analysts fear that any retaliation could escalate and threaten the tenuous peace along the border between the two countries.

Importantly, the TRF is believed to be an offshoot of – or perhaps simply a front for – the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistan-based armed group.

The LeT was involved in many terrorist attacks on Indian soil, most significantly, the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks in which an estimated 176 people were killed. The perpetrators of the atrocity are believed by many, including the US government, to have received help from the ISI.