With the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary concluding on 23 October, India on Thursday has sent out a clear message to the multilateral watchdog, saying that Pakistan is yet to act on dreaded and UN-proscribed terrorists such as Masood Azhar, Dawood Ibrahim and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
“It is understood that Pakistan has addressed only 21 action items so far out of the total 27-point FATF action plan. Six important action items are yet to be addressed. As is well known, Pakistan continues to provide safe havens to terrorist entities and individuals and has also not yet taken any action against several terrorist entities and individuals including those proscribed by the UNSC such as Masood Azhar, Dawood Ibrahim, Zakir-ur-Rahman Lakhvi, etc,” Anurag Srivastava, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs said Thursday.
The MEA spokesman’s statement assumes significance in the light of the fact that FATF’s plenary, which is underway presently, is going to end on Friday. The Paris-based FATF will take a final call on whether or not Pakistan should be blacklisted for its failure to take actions against terrorists. However, India wants Pakistan to be blacklisted for continuing to provide safe haven to terrorists.
The Daily Guardian had earlier reported that Indian diplomats are quite active to ensure that Pakistan either gets blacklisted by FATF or continues to be in the grey list of the money-laundering and terror financing watchdog. The TDG reported how Indian diplomats are actively meeting the FATF officials and their counterparts of the member countries giving them the evidence to prove that Pakistan has not yet acted against the terrorists and terror organisations operating from its soil.
Lakhvi and Hafiz Saeed, who are the main plotters of Mumbai attacks (26/11), are on the top of the list of most-wanted terrorists that India has handed over to Pakistan for credible action against them and other perpetrators of the terror act. But Islamabad has been in denial mode on the evidence given by India.
Indian officials have given the same dossier of the evidence to the FATF officials, exposing how Pakistan is ignoring the dossiers given by New Delhi to punish the terrorists, sources said. Similarly, Pakistan stands exposed for giving patronage to Dawood Ibrahim and even the US intelligence agencies have given information about him being in Karachi.
Addressing a media briefing, Srivastava said, “FATF has well laid out standards and procedures for putting a country in its Black List and Grey List. After a country is put on a List, an action plan is given to it and the country concerned is expected to fully complete the action plan within the stipulated time. Those found wanting in implementing their obligations are held accountable and subjected to appropriate action.”
The FATF, in its October 2019 Plenary had given Pakistan time till February 2020 to meet its targets. In June 2018, it had set a 27-point action plan for Pakistan, which it was expected to meet by October 2019. But Pakistan could only fulfil five targets at that time.
Srivastava also came heavily down on Pakistan for continued ceasefire violations. The MEA spokesperson said Pakistan has engaged itself in “unprovoked ceasefire violations, often from civilian areas, to support infiltration of terrorists across the LoC (Line of Control)”.