Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 18 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir JD(U) president GM Shaheen on Friday demanded a ban on all organisations involved in spreading terror in the country, a day after the US Department of State's designate 'The Resistance Front' (TRF) as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT),

Shaheen also called on global forums for a ban on other Pakistan-backed terrorist organisations as well.

'This should have been done earlier... All those organisations that spread terror in the country should be banned immediately... They should not have waited for the Pahalgam attack to ban these organisations. Banning organisations after they have murdered people is not a good policy,' Shaheen said.

'They should be banned when such suspicious activity is detected globally. The world should also ban other Pakistan-backed terrorist organisations... The USA should not align with those who support terrorists,' he added.

This comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a statement, acknowledged that TRF under US anti-terrorism laws, had claimed responsibility for the Pahalagam terror attack, and in light of this, it accorded the group the status of FTO and SDGT.

TRF, a proxy of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), was the group that claimed responsibility for the killing of 26 people, mostly tourists, in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir and triggered the four-day military escalation between India and Pakistan in the coming two weeks.

The US noted this was the deadliest civilian attack in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, also carried out by LeT. The decision, the US government stated, underscored the Trump administration's ongoing commitment to global counter-terrorism.

'These actions taken by the Department of State demonstrate the Trump Administration's commitment to protecting our national security interests, countering terrorism, and enforcing President Trump's call for justice for the Pahalgam attack,' Rubio said in the statement.

'TRF and other associated aliases have been added to LeT's designation as an FTO and SDGT pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224, respectively. The Department of State has also reviewed and maintained the FTO designation of LeT. Amendments to FTO designations go into effect upon publication in the Federal Register,' the statement further added.

Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday expressed its appreciation for the US Department of State's decision to designate The Resistance Front (TRF) as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), describing it as a significant step in the global fight against terrorism.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) acknowledged and appreciated the leadership of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the decision.

'The Government of India welcomes the decision of the United States Department of State to designate The Resistance Front (TRF) as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). We acknowledge and appreciate the leadership of Secretary of State Mr. Marco Rubio in this regard,' the statement read.

'The TRF, a proxy of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), has been involved in numerous terror-related activities, including the heinous attack on civilians in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on 22 April 2025, for which it twice claimed responsibility,' it added. (ANI)