The horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which left at least 26 people dead, is part of an alarming pattern. The cowardly act has shown how Pakistan’s military rhetoric directly fuels extremist violence in Kashmir, executed by proxies such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) offshoot, The Resistance Front (TRF).
This incident must be analysed alongside the recent radical ideological shift openly espoused by Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir.
Pakistan Army’s Ideological Radicalisation
In a speech delivered on April 17, 2025, Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir explicitly revived the controversial Two-Nation Theory, asserting that Pakistanis are fundamentally distinct from Hindus “in every possible aspect of life— our religions, customs, traditions, thoughts, and ambitions.” He went further during an address in Balochistan, stating, “Pakistan is the only state after the State of Taiyaba established on the Kalma.”
The Pakistan Army Chief’s statement also identified Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein”. Beyond a metaphor, this is an explicit historical trigger phrase known to incite militancy.
General Munir’s rhetoric echoes the infamous Islamisation policies of former dictator General Zia-ul-Haq (1977-1988), who systematically transformed Pakistan’s military into an ideological institution espousing religious extremism as state policy. Zia’s reforms institutionalised religious identity as the military’s guiding doctrine, with analysts like Stephen Cohen warning that these shifts made the Pakistani Army the guardian of ideological frontiers rather than merely territorial ones.
Even today, Pakistan’s military persistently employs religious ideology to consolidate internal control and define national security priorities, particularly against India.
Gen. Munir’s embrace of a radical religious narrative is no accident. Facing internal crises and economic turbulence, the Pakistani military establishment uses religious extremism as a political tool to galvanise support domestically while legitimising aggression externally, notably in Kashmir.
Pakistani proxy groups are not far behind. On the day of General Munir’s speech, Lashkar commander Abu Musa called for bloodshed in Kashmir.
On April 18, a rally was held in Khai Gala, Rawalkot, in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), to honor two terrorists who were neutralized by Indian security forces. During the rally, Musa urged for attacks in Kashmir as a retaliation against India’s decisions to revoke Article 370 and Article 35A in the region.
“India removed Article 370 to change the demography. You wanted to echo ‘Ram Ram’ in Pulwama, Poonch, Rajouri. Lashkar-e-Taiba accepts your challenge,” Musa said. “Inshallah, we will shower bullets, slit your necks, and honour the sacrifices of our martyrs,” he is heard telling the audience.
TRF: Pakistan’s Tactical Proxy
Both Pakistan Army and LeT’s calls surely emboldened TRF.
Formed in October 2019 following India’s abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370, TRF is effectively a rebranded tactical proxy LeT, deliberately designed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to evade global scrutiny, particularly from international watchdogs like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
TRF presents itself through carefully curated secular rhetoric as a “homegrown resistance,” distinct from the religiously explicit names historically employed by Pakistani terror outfits. Beneath this façade, however, TRF’s operational infrastructure, recruitment, and ideological foundation are unequivocally anchored in LeT’s Islamist extremism, actively sustained by ISI. Indian intelligence reports conclusively identify TRF’s top leadership, including its founder Sheikh Sajjad Gul and operational commanders like Basit Ahmed Dar, as seasoned LeT operatives operating directly under ISI guidance.
The group’s operational methods are brutal and precisely calculated. TRF specialises in targeted killings, particularly of Hindu minorities and Indian security personnel in Kashmir. Yesterday’s attack in Pahalgam showed the extent of TRF’s religious profiling, along the lines of what Gen Munir had suggested. The terrorists selectively identified Hindu tourists by checking for circumcision and asking them to recite the kalma. The innocent tourists were then executed by “a shower of bullets”; the atrocity was documented using body cameras for propaganda purposes.
Indian agencies have also uncovered the group’s sophisticated digital recruitment and radicalisation methods through encrypted platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp, where TRF carefully cultivates a narrative that blends anti-India messaging with secularised resistance rhetoric to attract a broad base of Kashmiri youth.
Linking Ideological Rhetoric to Operational Terrorism
Gen. Munir’s incendiary speeches have demonstrably emboldened groups like TRF, providing them with an ideological justification for increased violence. In fact, the use of the phrase “jugular vein” may have even signalled quiet support from the Pakistani military establishment to the group.
Indeed, after the attack, the first reaction from Pakistan came not from the country’s Prime Minister or Foreign Affairs Minister, but the Defence Minister. And he referred to the action carried out by TRF terrorists, three of whom were reportedly foreigners, as an uprising of “locals” against the government of India.
Intelligence agencies monitoring TRF’s encrypted communication have reported explicit references to Gen. Munir’s speeches as moral and ideological endorsements for their attacks, highlighting how religious radicalisation from Pakistan’s top military leadership directly translates into violence on the ground in Kashmir. Thus, the operational nexus between the Pakistani military’s ideological rhetoric and proxy terrorism executed by groups like TRF becomes alarmingly clear.
Pakistan’s ideological and operational radicalisation strategy holds significant geopolitical consequences. The United States administration, historically critical of Pakistan’s use of terrorist proxies, has voiced heightened concern post-Pahalgam, renewing calls for enhanced FATF scrutiny and targeted sanctions against ISI-linked networks. Simultaneously, Gulf countries, notably Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have significantly scaled back their financial support to Pakistan, alarmed by the spillover risks of radicalisation.
China, though publicly protective of Pakistan at international forums like the United Nations, privately pressures Islamabad to restrain extremist groups destabilising its investments under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Experts like Ashley Tellis have warned that Pakistan’s ideological terrorism nexus could escalate into larger regional conflicts, potentially forcing India to pursue military retaliations.
Neutralising the Nexus: Strategic Actions and Policy Options
Pakistan’s dangerous dual strategy—combining explicit religious radicalisation from its military leadership with violent proxy terrorism via groups like TRF—represents an escalating threat to regional stability and global security. As the Pahalgam tragedy starkly demonstrates, ideological rhetoric from Pakistan’s top military leadership has deadly real-world consequences.
Effectively countering this dual-threat requires an international diplomatic push, enhanced security responses, and a sincere effort to address Kashmiri political grievances through inclusive governance.
Addressing this growing threat demands a coherent, multidimensional response from India and the international community. Diplomatically, India must leverage FATF frameworks more aggressively, pursuing stricter sanctions against Pakistani financial institutions that facilitate TRF’s terror financing.
Concurrently, building diplomatic coalitions within the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), particularly with Gulf states increasingly wary of Pakistan’s radicalisation trajectory, would further isolate Islamabad internationally.
Without decisive action, Pakistan’s ideological extremism will continue fueling cycles of violence, endangering regional peace and stability.