New US findings and a policy paper highlight continuing terror concerns linked to Pakistan and underline why trust issues still shape the India-US relationship.
US President Donald Trump interacts with Pakistani officials during a meeting at the White House, with military representatives also present. | WhiteHouse.gov
A US Congressional research report has flagged Pakistan as a continuing hub for multiple armed and terror groups, some of which have been active since the 1980s.
The finding lands amid unease in India-US ties, with a separate policy paper noting that New Delhi remains dissatisfied with what it sees as Washington’s limited focus on terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
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The March 25 report says these groups fall into different categories – global, Afghanistan-focused, India-focused, domestic, and sectarian. At least 12 are listed as Foreign Terrorist Organizations under US law, and most follow Islamist extremist ideologies.
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It adds that repeated military actions, including airstrikes and hundreds of thousands of intelligence-based operations, have not succeeded in dismantling these networks, which continue to operate from Pakistani soil.
Among them is Lashkar-e-Taiba, set up in the late 1980s and designated as an FTO in 2001. Led by Hafiz Saeed, the group operates out of Pakistan’s Punjab and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. It later adopted the name Jamaat-ud-Dawa to get around sanctions. With several thousand fighters, it carried out the 2008 Mumbai attacks and other major strikes.
Jaish-e-Mohammed, founded in 2000 by Masood Azhar and also designated in 2001, has around 500 armed supporters working across India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The report also names Harakat-ul Jihad Islami, Harakat ul-Mujahidin, and Hizbul Mujahideen as active from Pakistan.
The findings echo India’s long-held position that Pakistan continues to back such groups. The report also mentions The Resistance Front, an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, which carried out the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people. TRF has been designated a global terrorist organisation.
The Pahalgam attack became the trigger point. Within days, India moved. On May 6, 2025, Operation Sindoor was launched — a set of coordinated strikes on nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. More than 100 terrorists were killed, including trainers and handlers linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen. Officials maintained the targets were picked carefully to avoid civilian areas.
Four days later, the conflict widened. On May 10, Pakistan hit back, launching missiles and drones at Indian Air Force bases, ammunition depots, airports and military installations. India’s air defence and counter-drone systems intercepted the strikes, and no targets were hit.
In response, the Indian Air Force targeted Pakistani airbases and military infrastructure on the western front. Airbases, including Chaklala, Sargodha, Rafiqui, Rahimyar Khan, Jacobabad, Sukkur, and Bholari, were struck.
Later the same day, Pakistan’s DGMO reached out to India seeking a halt. Formal DGMO-level talks on May 12 led to a ceasefire.
Alongside this, a policy paper by the Center for a New American Security – ‘Repairing the Breach: Getting US-India Ties Back on Track’ – points to deeper friction. It says the relationship “stumbled badly” in the second half of 2025, citing differences over the ceasefire process and US tariffs on Indian exports.
Authored by Lisa Curtis, Keerthi Martyn, and Sitara Gupta, the report notes that while defence and technology ties remain strong, disagreements over Pakistan and terrorism continue to weigh on the relationship.
It adds that India has been disappointed by what it sees as insufficient US attention to terrorism from Pakistan, even after the TRF was designated a terrorist group.
The paper also cautions Washington against suggesting any third-party role in Kashmir, saying such statements risk further damaging trust.
At the same time, it flags areas of progress, including a renewed 10-year defence framework, an interim trade deal, and cooperation in sectors like energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, and semiconductors.
But there’s a clear warning running through it: if the political mistrust isn’t dealt with, all these gains could start to unravel.
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