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The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the banned terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has reportedly claimed responsibility for the recent terror attack in Pahalgam. The attack has left as many as 27 people dead, marking one of the deadliest assaults in the region in recent times.
A Banned Outfit: The Rise of ‘The Resistance Front Since 2019’
The TRF was officially designated as a terrorist organisation by the Indian government under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in January 2023. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in a notification, stated that “the activities of TRF are detrimental for the national security and sovereignty of India.”
The group first surfaced shortly after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. Initially functioning as an online platform, TRF evolved into an active militant outfit within six months of its formation.
“The Resistance Front came into existence in the year 2019 as a proxy outfit of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a proscribed terrorist organisation listed at serial number 5 of the first schedule under the UAPA,” the MHA notification said.
Recruiting, Propaganda, and Funding Channels of ‘The Rise of The Resistance Front’
TRF is known to draw fighters from Lashkar-e-Taiba and other militant groups. According to government investigations, TRF relies on the same funding networks as Lashkar to sustain its operations.
The group uses digital platforms extensively for propaganda, radicalisation, and recruitment. “TRF is recruiting youth through online medium for furtherance of terrorist activities,” said the MHA notification, adding that the outfit is “involved in psychological operations on social media platforms for inciting people of Jammu and Kashmir to join terrorist outfits against Indian state.”
The outfit has also been involved in infiltration, weapons and narcotics smuggling from Pakistan into Jammu and Kashmir, according to official sources.
The Man Behind TRF: Sheikh Sajjad Gul
The group’s founder, Sheikh Sajjad Gul—also known as Sheikh Sajjad—has attempted to position the TRF as an indigenous resistance force. He claims its agenda is to oppose “local oppression” and has publicly distanced the outfit from Pakistan and from Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed.
Born on October 10, 1974, in Srinagar, Sheikh Sajjad Gul was designated a terrorist by the Indian government in 2022. He is considered the mastermind behind several of TRF’s major operations.
Official data from 2022 underscores TRF’s expanding influence in Jammu and Kashmir’s terror landscape. Of the 172 terrorists killed in the region that year, 108 were linked to TRF. Moreover, 74 out of 100 new recruits who joined militant ranks in the same year were associated with the group.
Brutal Attacks Over the Years by TRF
TRF has been involved in several high-profile attacks over the years—targeting civilians, security forces, migrant workers, and Kashmiri Pandits alike.
Prior to the recent Pahalgam incident, TRF claimed responsibility for an October 2024 attack in Ganderbal, where a doctor and six migrant workers were shot dead at a construction site. A statement released by TRF at the time said the attack was carried out by the group’s local module and was masterminded by its chief Sheikh Sajjad Gul. The group claimed the assault targeted both Kashmiris and non-Kashmiris.
Another major TRF operation occurred on April 1, 2020, when its members engaged in a prolonged four-day gun battle with Indian security forces in the Keran sector near the Line of Control in Kupwara. The confrontation resulted in the deaths of five Indian para commandos along with the terrorists.
Known Operatives: Names to Watch
Some of the prominent figures linked to TRF include:
- Sajjad Gul (Founder and chief)
- Sajid Jatt
- Salim Rehmani
All three terrorists have known ties to Lashkar-e-Taiba, reinforcing TRF’s positioning as a proxy rather than an independent outfit.
