The reference to The Resistance Front, a proxy for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)**, in the UN Security Council report is a "significant diplomatic victory" for India as it is for the first time that the terrorist group has been mentioned in any UN document, according to The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
"The paragraph on TRF and the Pahalgam terror attack is the first part under the South Asia Section and the largest. It is in sync with what we have been stating on the links between the TRF and the LeT and its support from Pakistan," said a media note by the MEA.
It noted that this was also the first time that LeT has featured in the UN report since 2019.
It asserted that the development was especially notable from the viewpoint that all decisions of the 1267 Sanctions Committee, including the new report, are adopted by consensus of all the members of the UN Security Council, which include the five Permanent Members.
The Indian government has underscored that the UNSC's decision reflects global recognition for "India's strong counter-terrorism credentials" as well as close cooperation between New Delhi and other Security Council members on the issue of terrorism.
"It highlights Pakistan’s obstructive approach to counter-terrorism efforts, the recognition of the international community of the continuing threat posed by Pakistan-based terror groups and their proxies, and the key exporter of terrorism to the world," the Indian document stressed.
Further, it has been highlighted that the TRF's mention in the UNSC report was due to "comprehensive and coordinated efforts" undertaken by the MEA and the Indian missions across the world.
"The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been providing detailed inputs on TRF and other Pakistan-sponsored terror proxies to the MT since December 2023. In 2024, on two occasions, MEA had provided inputs to the MT on the activities of the TRF and its linkages to the LeT," the Indian government said.
An MEA-led inter-ministerial delegation also briefed the UN Monitoring Team and other senior UN officials in New York in May 2024 as well as shared a dossier on the activities of TRF.
"The inter-ministerial delegation had held separate briefings for like-minded countries in the Security Council and other major UN member states," it said.
Through foreign missions in New Delhi and Indian missions in key global capitals as well as inter-parliamentary delegations dispatched to 33 countries in the wake of Operation Sindoor, Indian authorities ensured a "sustained follow-up" on the TRF issue.
It said that the reference to TRF in the UNSC report was a diplomatic setback for Pakistan, mainly due to the fact that Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had stated in the National Assembly that Islamabad managed to get the reference to TRF omitted from the UNSC statement condemning the Pahalgam attack.
However, this month, Dar said that Pakistan had "no objection" in TRF being designated by the US State Department.
"The inclusion of TRF in the MT Report despite Pakistan’s efforts for its removal highlights Pakistan’s undeniable involvement in fomenting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. It also attests to our credibility in the UN on the counter-terrorism (CT) front," New Delhi has said.
The mentioning of the TRF in the MT Report is how the world views Pakistan’s lies and deceitful narrative, the Indian press note said.
Further, the Indian government stated that Pakistan's "strategy of plausible deniability", which involved using secular names such as “The Resistance Front” and “People Against Fascist Front” for terror proxies to divert attention from LeT/Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)***, had been dealt a blow by the UNSC report.
*banned terror group in India
**UN-designated terror group
***UN-designated terror group