The Resistance Front (TRF) is a Pakistani militant organization that was established following the abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A in August 2019 by the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. It is believed to be an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist organization that was behind the horrific 26/11 attacks in Mumbai in 2008. It is, by itself, a complex organization featuring a number of mini alliances attuned to local situations and committed to furthering the Pakistani agenda in Kashmir. Its modus operandi has included low-intensity explosions, murders of Indian nationals by TRF soldiers, and the employment of Over-Ground Workers (OGWs) to provide succour to the cause. Messaging apps such as Telegram and WhatsApp, too, have been utilised by TRF to further propaganda and the revisionist Pakistani cause in Kashmir.
TRF is largely considered to have been established with an intention to give a fillip to the particular division of terrorism dedicated to freeing Kashmir from Indian ‘rule’. It draws its cadre from the mothership of the LeT and allied terror organisations operating with impunity in Kashmir. TRF employs OGWs who work to provide logistics assistance such as money and weaponry to terrorists. This effectively helps them conduct attacks without bothering about arrangements. The Resistance Front first came to light in the mainstream Indian media after having claimed responsibility for a grenade attack in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk in October 2019 that resulted in injuries to eight civilians. Civilian killings, further, have included that of a street vendor, a chemist, and the president of a local taxi stand.
With mainstream terrorism having declined considerably in India, an all-out shift in focus to Kashmir, India’s northern union territory, is evident from organisations such as TRF. The Front is also endorsed by the much-feared Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI and several other subversive and dubious forces within the setup of the Pakistani state. The world’s most notorious intelligence agency, in particular, remains keen on adeptly and shrewdly utilising shadow outfits such as TRF to achieve its grander goals in Kashmir. The Kashmir ‘cause’ has become the solitary purpose of the ISI’s existence. The sinister plans of the ISI encompass TRF as one of many tools in its Kashmir strategy. Further, TRF, in obeisance to the ISI’s creed, is also a source of vile anti-India propaganda aimed at Kashmiri ‘liberation’.
A spate of terror incidents resulting from TRF in Kashmir
The notoriety of TRF, a group also known as JK Fighters, has been pervasive through Kashmir with civilian killings having become a norm since its emergence as a novel terrorist threat and a unique challenge to Indian forces covering Kashmir. It has claimed the lives of ordinary civilians as well as many Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politicians, party workers, and Indian security forces. A few months after its formation, in April 2020, a module of TRF was busted. With its target being the BJP, TRF operatives killed three of the party’s workers in October 2020. In 2021, TRF remained active with India mired by the COVID pandemic. October 2021 was witness to three militants of The Resistance Front being killed by security forces. In September earlier, a TRF operative was arrested for having radicalised innocent Kashmiri youth to wage war against the Indian state and further the cause of Kashmiri liberation.
The ISI, in particular, has been extensively involved in the rampant smuggling of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) through the exclusivity of its contacts. These are dispatched with an intention to trigger low-intensity terror attacks in cities such as New Delhi and states such as Punjab (a prospective Khalistan remains a driver of the ISI’s ethereal presence in Punjab). Notably, India’s National Intelligence Agency (NIA) filed a chargesheet against three TRF-related terror-accused in late-December, in connection with the recovery from IEDs. NIA raids have been conducted specifically against TRF. The threat of IED-driven terrorism remains an issue of immediate concern owing to their proliferation through land and sea ‘drug routes’ by Pakistan. Recently on Jan. 7, 2022, security forces were able to make more gains against The Resistance Front, thus denting its presence and propaganda in Kashmir. A module associated with TRF was exposed and found to be in possession of a weapons cache. Four TRF militants were arrested.
The overarching threat of TRF remains strong
The Resistance Front, coupled with new offshoots of mainstream terror organisations such as the Peoples’ Anti-Fascist Force (PAFF), and the Joint Kashmir Front (JKF) among others have introduced a new dimension to everlasting terror in the UT. Of the four, TRF presents the most formidable challenge to India in Kashmir. TRF and its motley crew of terrorist allies align with a stifling strategy meant to confuse, deter, and create a permanent anxiety among India’s security forces. TRF openly claims to targeting India largely because of the ‘fascism’ of the RSS-endorsed BJP-led NDA government. With its ensign bearing the map of a united Kashmir, TRF’s Pakistani origins highlight the prospect of the group wanting to disguise and promote Kashmiri ‘independence’ leading to Kashmir’s eventual ascension to Islamabad.
In an exhaustive article for the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Rohith Sai Narayan Stambamkadi writes about the application of TRF’s self-promoted ‘secular’ ideology, alongside a number of unique methods such as ‘hybrid militancy’, in its overarching branding in Kashmir. The scholar also states that TRF cannot be taken any lightly owing to holistic, committed, strategy-driven means and ways of the conduct of militant operations. These have emerged as causes for concern to locals in Kashmir. TRF’s terrorising presence and pervasive prevalence have also been noted along with its staunch commitment to the cause of Kashmir’s eviction from India. An article by Khalid Shah for the ORF opines that TRF aims to consolidate terrorist manpower in Kashmir under a single banner to reinvigorate cross-border terrorism in Kashmir.
Make no mistake, TRF remains highly motivated, hugely inspired, and methodically geared towards helping Pakistan obtain Kashmir from India. The Resistance Front has clearly been sanctified by the Pakistani terror machinery, including Kashmir-focussed organisations such as Hizb-ul Mujahideen (HuM). TRF is all but an independent, LeT-sponsored outfit driven by Pakistan-synonymous aims, ideals, and objectives. The threat by TRF to India in its union territory of Kashmir remains strong and evident despite the many strengths of Indian security forces in combatting the menace(s) posed and curbing the ISI-sanctioned Pakistani advance into Indian territory.
The writer is a former Research Associate who has notably associated with the National Maritime Foundation (NMF) in New Delhi, India. He has over five years of work experience in international relations research and writes extensively on issues pertaining to the maritime domains of Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the ASEAN. The views expressed above are in a personal capacity, and do not reflect the views of the NMF. The writer can be contacted via email at [email protected].
