China Reacts to Pahalgam Attack Amid U.S. Terror Designation of TRF
China has condemned the terror assault in Pahalgam on April 22 and emphasized the necessity of closer regional cooperation to combat terrorism and preserve stability. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian commended Washington’s action after the US designated the Resistance Front (TRF) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), recognizing its efforts in reducing terrorist risks.
Lin responded that China opposes terrorism in all its manifestations when questioned about the US State Department’s action.
“China strongly condemns the April 22 terrorist attack and fiercely opposes terrorism in all its manifestations. China urges nations in the region to strengthen their counterterrorism cooperation and work together to preserve regional security and stability,” he stated.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged in a statement that the group claimed responsibility for the 26-person Pahalgam terror assault in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.
As a result, the TRF was designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) and a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the US.
The Resistance Front (TRF) is being added by the Department of State as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) and Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) today. The Pahalgam attack on April 22, 2025, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians, was attributed to TRF, a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) front and proxy. Since the LeT assaults in Mumbai in 2008, this was the worst assault on Indian citizens.
The statement also stated that RF has taken credit for several strikes on Indian security forces, the most recent of which occurred in 2024.
According to the statement, this move showed how committed the US President Donald Trump administration is to fighting terrorism.
“These actions taken by the Department of State demonstrate the Trump Administration’s commitment to protecting our national security interests, countering terrorism, and enforcing President Trump’s call for justice for the Pahalgam attack,” stated the statement.Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224, respectively, have added TRF and other related aliases to LeT’s status as an FTO and SDGT.
Additionally, the Department of State has examined and upheld LeT’s FTO status. When an amendment to an FTO designation is published in the Federal Register, it becomes effective,” the statement continued.
What Pakistan said
Any attempt to connect the Pahalgam terror act with the now-defunct LeT was untrue, according to Pakistan, which has stated that it “dismantled” the terrorist network.
“Pakistan has deradicalized its cadres, arrested and prosecuted the leadership, and effectively and comprehensively dismantled concerned outfits,” the foreign office statement stated.
It stated that “any linkage with LeT, a defunct organization banned in Pakistan, belies ground realities” and that the inquiry into the Pahalgam attack is “still inconclusive.”
According to the statement, Pakistan’s policy of international cooperation against terrorism is based on its condemnation of terrorism in all its manifestations and forms, as well as its zero tolerance for it.
As tensions between India and Pakistan increased, the TRF later withdrew their claim of responsibility for the Pahalgam incident.