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U.S. Lawmaker Links Pahalgam Attack to LeT/TRF, Cites July Terror Listing

His House hearing remarks coincided with a U.S. move to approve a $686 million F-16 upgrade for Pakistan, spotlighting competing signals in Washington’s South Asia policy.

Overview

  • Rep. Bill Huizenga said Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and its proxy The Resistance Front carried out the Pahalgam attack, referencing their designation as foreign terrorist organisations in July 2025.
  • The April 22 assault killed 26 tourists in Jammu and Kashmir, with TRF initially claiming responsibility before later retracting the claim.
  • India responded with Operation Sindoor in May, saying it destroyed nine terror camps and targeted 11 military sites inside Pakistan, while Pakistan denied any role and described LeT as defunct.
  • The administration’s approval of a $686 million F-16 upgrade proposal for Pakistan drew attention to the contrast with U.S. counterterrorism actions against LeT-linked entities.
  • At the hearing, Huizenga pressed for deeper U.S.–India strategic and economic ties, advocating a new trade deal as USTR Jamieson Greer said the U.S. had received its best-ever offer from India.