Who is the Mastermind Behind the Pahalgam Attack? What is Resistance Front? | TDG Explainer

A gruesome terrorist attack in Pahalgam has killed at least 26 tourists. The carnage has been claimed by the Resistance Front (TRF), a splinter group of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Prime Minister Narendra Modi, shortening his Saudi Arabia visit, returned to Delhi on Wednesday and attended a high-level meeting at the airport with NSA Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had set out for Kashmir already on Tuesday to take the situation into consideration.

Here is a closer view of what TRF is, its previous record of terror incidents, and the mastermind of the Pahalgam attack.

What Is The Resistance Front?

The TRF was established in 2019, soon after the revocation of Article 370 and the withdrawal of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in August that year. Established as a LeT proxy, it slowly surfaced online and subsequently on the ground, fusing with outfits such as Tehreek-e-Millat Islamia and Ghaznavi Hind, The Indian Express reports.

Founded in Karachi, TRF started its online activities prior to establishing its presence in Jammu and Kashmir. It has been actively inducting young recruits through the digital medium, facilitating infiltration and smuggling operations, and disseminating propaganda, as described in a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notice.

“TRF is also recruiting youth via online platform for perpetuation of terrorist activities and has been engaged in conducting propaganda on terror activities, recruitment of terrorists, penetration of terrorists and smuggling of weapons and drugs from Pakistan to J&K. TRF is engaged in psychological operations on social media platforms for mobilizing people of J&K to join terrorist groups against the Indian state,” the MHA said.

What Pakistan officials think they have done is replaced overtly religious names like LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad with a name like The Resistance Front, eliminating any obvious religious overtones from the group’s brand.

In January 2023, the MHA officially declared the TRF as a terrorist outfit under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), particularly given its rising engagement in attacks and intimidation, including on journalists in Kashmir.

Who Commands the TRF?

Sheikh Sajjad Gul is the appointed commander of the TRF and has been listed under the Fourth Schedule of the UAPA. He has several cases registered against him for conspiring to kill civilians and security personnel, arms smuggling, and collaborating with other banned terror outfits.

As per the MHA, “The activities of the TRF are prejudicial to the security and sovereignty of India. Large number of cases have been registered against the members/associates of the TRF pertaining to conspiracy of killing of security personnel and civilians of J&K, co-ordinating and transporting weapons to aid proscribed terrorist organisations…”

Regardless of these allegations, Sheikh Sajjad says that the TRF is driven by resentment of “local oppression” and refutes any connections with Pakistan or Hafiz Saeed.

TRF Involvement in Terror Attacks

The presence of TRF became clear when the Jammu and Kashmir police dismounted overground worker (OGW) infrastructure in Sopore and Kupwara. Those apprehended admitted recruiting youths to this new outfit.

Since 2020, TRF has openly taken credit for operations in Kashmir, a change from the erstwhile supremacy of LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

Of the 172 terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir in 2022 alone, 108 were associated with TRF. Records also indicate that of 100 new recruitments made by terrorists during the same year, 74 had joined TRF.

The group’s last major strike was in Ganderbal, where seven people were murdered at a construction site.

Who Is the Pahalgam Attack Mastermind?

Saifullah Khalid, alias Saifullah Kasuri, has been named as the mastermind of the Pahalgam attack. Khalid is the deputy chief of LeT and is reportedly close to Hafiz Saeed. A “favourite asset” of Pakistan’s military establishment, he has unbridled movement across the country.

Sources indicate that Khalid is infamous for his inflammatory speeches and has played a crucial role in mobilizing and radicalizing Pakistani youth. Two months prior to the Pahalgam attack, he had visited Kanganpur in Pakistan’s Punjab province, where a Pakistan Army battalion is stationed. There, Colonel Zahid Zarin Khattak had allegedly invited him to make a Jihadi speech designed to provoke military aggression against India.

In yet another address in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Khalid asserted, “I assure that today is February 2, 2025. We will do our level best to liberate Kashmir by February 2, 2026. Our Mujahideen will make their attacks stronger in the days ahead.”

An intelligence report further states that Khalid visited a terror camp in Abbottabad last year, hosted by the political wings of LeT—PMML and SML. He himself chose young men for terror training, who were subsequently infiltrated into India with the help of the Pakistani Army.

This spine-chilling testimony of preparation and radicalization makes known the degree of planning and coordination involved in the Pahalgam attack, and the perilous role played by Khalid and TRF in cross-border terrorism.