As Pakistan continues financing and supporting terrorist organisations, it appears that the country will be pushed into the black list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) during next month’s Plenary to assess the country’s progress in curbing the financing of terrorist organisations.
During October’s review, FATF president Marcus Pleyer had said that there were “very serious deficiencies” in Pakistan’s efforts to counter terrorist financing and gave the country until the February 19-21 Plenary to resolve these issues as they cannot wait “forever.”
“As long as we see that the country is progressing with the action items, and we have seen progress with Pakistan, we give them a chance to repair the outstanding issues, but we don’t do this forever,” Pleyer had said.
Although Pakistani decisionmakers are attempting to portray themselves as curbing financing to terrorist organisations, the FATF are far from convinced.
“As all action plan deadlines have expired, the FATF strongly urges Pakistan to swiftly complete its full action plan by February 2021,” the global watchdog to combat money laundering and terrorism financing said on October 23.
“Pakistan should continue to work on implementing its action plan to address its strategic deficiencies,” the FATF added.
Although Pakistan is only on a grey list right now, it risks being pushed into the black list if it does not fulfill its commitments to curb terrorism financing, and even if it does fulfill its obligations, FATF will remain suspicious and an on-sight inspection will take place.
“After that on-site visit, the next plenary will then decide whether Pakistan has indeed fully and effectively completed the action plan and then there is a decision on whether Pakistan would leave the grey list or not,” Pleyer said.
Terrorist organisations, such as Jamaar-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM), continue to operate with impunity in Pakistan.
A video of Jamaat-ud-Dawa’s (JuD) Central Leader, Convener Tehreek Hurmat-e-Rasool, and Chief Editor of ‘Weekly Jarrar’, Amir Hamza, emerged addressing the “Tahaffuz Hurmat-e-Rasool Conference” (Conference of Protection of the Sanctity of Prophet Muhammad) at Muridke in the Punjab on October 29, 2020.
In his address, Hamza praised the Chechen teenager that beheaded school teacher Samuel Paty in France on October 16 for showing a cartoon depiction of Muhammad, the founder of Islam.
In another example, a banner was found that was advertising the “Seerat Imam Azam Muhammad Rasoolullah Conference” (Conference on Life of Prophet Muhammad), which was held at the Jamia Masjid Salman Farsi in Abdul Rehman Town in the Punjab on November 12, 2020.
The banner mentions that the event will be addressed by Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Central Leaders Maulana Manzoor Ahmad and Maulana Khalid Saif-ul-Islam Wattoo.
The banner was posted on social media on November 2, 2020.
Another terrorist banner regarding the “Nida-e-Islam Conference” at Markaz Nida-e-Islam in Islampura in Punjab for November 14, 2020 was found. The banner mentions that the conference will be addressed by Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Central Leaders Maulana Manzoor Ahmed and Qari Bin Yamin Abid.
The banner also mentions contact numbers of Hafiz Abdul Rashid as +92-302-7575350 and +92-301-4534046 and was posted on social media on November 4, 2020.
In fact, several more banners advertising conferences by the terrorist organisation was found in Pakistan after the FATF’s October warning.
The JeM have also openly advertised their activities with no intervention from the state. A banner issued by JeM appeals for people to donate money to buy warm clothing for terrorists fighting in harsh weather conditions. The banner was posted on social media on November 15, 2020.
A write-up titled “Achhi Khabrein” (Good News) by JeM Chief Maulana Masood Azhar said that rising cases of COVID-19 infection in the UK is result of misadventures carried out by the country across the world.
Azhar also holds Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government responsible for rising cases of the virus in India. The write-up was posted on social media on November 1, 2020.
Pakistan was put on FATF’s grey list in 2018 after the organisation pointed out that its failing to control terror financing and money laundering.
However, this is not a failure by Islamabad. It is deliberate decision by the country as it utilises terrorism to achieve its foreign policy goals, such as destabilising the Jammu and Kashmir region of India.
Islamabad attempts to portray itself as dealing with terrorism, attesting to the recent detention of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and the arrest warrants for Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, but this is nothing but a smokescreen.
Both were not charged for terrorist activities, demonstrating that Pakistan is only cosmetically dealing with terrorism, something that is unlikely to fool FATF.