"When I Asked People Bluntly...": Shashi Tharoor On US-Pak Cooperation

In the wake of the United States' designation of The Resistance Front (TRF) as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has offered insight into the behind-the-scenes diplomatic exchanges that preceded the announcement.

Taking to social media platform X, Mr Tharoor welcomed the US move but said it was long overdue. The TRF, a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), had claimed responsibility for the 22 April 2025 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that left 26 dead, marking the deadliest assault on Indian civilians since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

In his post, Mr Tharoor revealed that during his private meetings with US officials in Washington earlier this year, he directly questioned America's reluctance to hold Pakistan accountable for harbouring terror groups.

"In my private conversations in Washington, when I asked people bluntly why the US were still allowing Pakistan to get away with providing a safe haven to terrorist organisations, I was pointed to Pakistan's alleged cooperation with the US on counter-terror operations, notably the recent surrender of the individual allegedly responsible for the Abbey Gate bombing that had killed 23 US marines at Kabul airport," Mr Tharoor wrote. 

The reference is to the August 2021 suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport's Abbey Gate in Kabul, during the US troop withdrawal, a strike later claimed by ISIS. The Taliban had reportedly handed over the suspect earlier this year.

2/3 In my private conversations in Washington, when I asked people bluntly why the US were still allowing Pakistan to get away with providing a safe haven to terrorist organisations, I was pointed to Pakistan's alleged cooperation with the US on counter-terror operations, notably…

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 19, 2025

"Our scepticism about the quality & sincerity of Pakistani actions against terrorism reflects our own experience with those terror agencies that are directed against us, rather than those that the US deems hostile, such as ISIS-Khorasan. This is a step towards bridging the gap in perceptions between the US and us on this. It will help in our efforts to list TRF at the @UN as well," Mr Tharoor added. 

India welcomed the move in a formal statement, describing it as "a timely and important step reflecting the deep cooperation between India and the United States on counter-terrorism."

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in a separate post on X, wrote: "A strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation. Appreciate @SecRubio and @StateDept for designating TRF-a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) proxy-as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). It claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Zero tolerance for terrorism. #OpSindoor."

The Ministry added that India remains committed to a "zero tolerance" policy towards terrorism and will continue to pursue accountability for groups and proxies operating from across the border.