New Delhi, April 23
The ghastly terror attack in Pahalgam has shown the deadliest face of terrorism in the Baisaran meadows of Pahalgam in Kashmir. While Pakistan claimed no connection with the terror attack, the name of Lashkar-e-Taiba's to commander Saifullah Khalid has emerged as te mastermind of the atack.
This atack has been the biggest terror attack on civilians after te 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and biggest in the Kashmir valley after the 2019 Pulwama terror atack.
While 26 innocent tourists died including aNaval officer and an Intelligence Bureau official, several have been injured.
Hours after the attack on April 22, The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Resistance Front (TRF) is a new terrorist outfit that emerged in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370 of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019. Believed to be a proxy arm of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), TRF was formed to provide a localised face' to the militancy in Kashmir.
Founded in October 2019, the group was led by Sheikh Sajjad Gulas the Supreme Commander, with Basit Ahmed Dar serving as the Chief Operational Commander. The TRF was initially formed with cadres from Hizbul Mujahideen and LeT.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) banned TRF and all its manifestations and front organisations in January 2023. The MHA has declared them as terrorist organisations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.
The TRF has had a role in majority of attacks on civilians, including Kashmiri Pandits and migrant workers as well as security forces in Kashmir, for the past many years.
The primary probe has suggested Saifullah, who is also known by the alias Saifullah Kasuri, is said to have been plotting the attack for the past two months. During this time, he reportedly made two visits to Pakistani Army camps as part of the planning process.
Saifullah is a close aide of Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed and serves as the outfit's deputy chief. He is credited with founding both TRF and People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), both considered proxy arms of Lashkar. Saifullah has been linked to several terror operations against India and is known to enjoy support from both Hafiz Saeed and the Pakistani military establishment.
Two months before the Pahalgam terrorist attack, Khalid had reached Kanganpur in Punjab, Pakistan, where a large battalion of the Pakistan Army is based. It has also come to the fore that Khalid made two provocative speeches inciting people in Pakistan, as per the details available with security forces.
Khalid is also the head of LeT’s Peshawar headquarters in Pakistan. He has reportedly served on Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD)’s Coordination Committee for Central Punjab Province. JuD, another name for LeT, was designated by the Department of State as an alias of LeT pursuant in April 2016, and was added to the United Nations Sanctions list as an alias of LeT in December 2008.
Khalid was introduced as the President of the MML and spoke about the party’s formation, aims, and objectives, during an August 8, 2017 press conference, according to the US Treasury.
