Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor welcomed the United States’ decision to designate The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as a global terrorist group. Calling it a “diplomatic success” for India, Tharoor expressed hope that the move would increase global pressure on Pakistan to act against terror groups operating from its soil.

The designation follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s strong condemnation of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 Indian civilians. The TRF had claimed responsibility for the attack—the deadliest since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

On social media platform X, Tharoor posted, “I welcome the US @StateDept’s designation of TheResistanceFront, the Lashkar proxy that claimed credit for #Pahalgam, as a terrorist organisation, adding pressure on Pakistan to curb its activities.”

In a follow-up post, he shared that during recent meetings in Washington, U.S. officials cited Pakistan’s “cooperation” on select counter-terror operations, such as the reported surrender of the mastermind behind the Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul, as a reason for its lenient handling.

“Our scepticism about Pakistan’s sincerity stems from our experience with groups targeting India, not just those seen as threats to the West,” Tharoor added. “This move helps align global perspectives and strengthens our case for TRF’s UN designation.”

The U.S. designation, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, lists TRF as both a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), reinforcing calls for justice.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had earlier raised TRF’s role at key international forums, and a parliamentary delegation led by Tharoor had briefed U.S. lawmakers on Pakistan’s terror infrastructure. The move is seen as a key milestone in India–U.S. counter-terrorism cooperation.