Ottawa, Feb 7 (IANS) Pakistan’s removal from the grey list of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) – officially classified as “jurisdictions under increased monitoring” --- "was premature" — given the resurgence of domestic terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, whose continued operational capacity suggests non-compliance with recommendations of the global money laundering and terror financing watchdog.
This underscores Pakistan’s lack of control over the terror financing networks within the country, and more alarmingly, evidence indicates that state elements are tolerating, or in some cases facilitating, the revival of these terrorist organisations, a report said.
“At Davos, Pakistan agreed to join President Trump’s new ‘Board of Peace’, alongside a list of other states with uneven records on governance and human rights. The initiative, initially intended to oversee the Gaza ceasefire, appears to be expanding into a broader project aimed at reshaping global governance outside of the structures of the United Nations,” a report in Canada-based 'Geopolitical Monitor' has detailed.
“The move sees Islamabad attempt to burnish its credentials as a responsible international actor, however, recent events, particularly over the past 12 months, call into question Pakistan’s credibility in such an initiative. Most notably, unresolved terrorist financing risks remain present in the country, and ahead of the FATF February plenary, such allegations warrant greater attention,” it added.
According to the report in October 2022, the FATF — responsible for issuing recommendations that underpin the global anti-money laundering and countering terrorist financing framework -- declared that Pakistan would no longer be "under increased monitoring".
Earlier in 2022, it said, a Pakistani court sentenced Hafiz Saeed, the founder and leader of the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), to 31 years in prison.
Although accused of orchestrating multiple mass casualty terrorist attacks, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and carrying a $10 million bounty from the US State Department, the charges that led to Saeed’s conviction were limited only to terrorism financing.
“Saeed’s longstanding immunity in Pakistan had previously been a key point of contention between Pakistan and the FATF, making his 2022 conviction appear a prerequisite of the country’s removal from ‘increased monitoring,’ or the ‘grey list’,” the report stated.
“Yet, more than three years on, Pakistan appears to have reverted to the same patterns of behaviour that initially drew FATF scrutiny, with LeT, its offshoots, including The Resistance Front (TRF), and other high profile terrorist groups, such as Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), continuing to operate and fundraise freely inside the country,” it added.
In light of the developments, the report further said, "It once again seems necessary that Pakistan is reconsidered for greater monitoring by the FATF, and the forthcoming February plenary provides the critical opportunity to act.”
--IANS
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