During a diplomatic visit to Singapore, Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha asked the country to support India’s demand to place Pakistan on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) blocklisting. Jha made this request after meeting with Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs, Sim Ann.
Concerns Over Misuse of Financial Aid by Pakistan
According to Jha, the Indian delegation raised concerns that Pakistan is using international financial assistance for the wrong purposes. Instead of using funds for development, he claimed that Pakistan is spending heavily on its defence sector and on promoting terrorism.
While speaking to ANI, Jha explained, “We met the State Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the one important thing is the Financial Assistant Task Force, which has a grey and black list. Earlier, Pakistan was in the grey list. Singapore is a member of FATF. We requested that Pakistan be brought on the black list because whatever financial support it gets, its expenditure is on its defence or terrorism. There is no expense in development work.”
Singapore’s Role in FATF
Singapore has been an active member of FATF since 1992. Over the years, especially since its 2016 evaluation, the country has worked on improving its systems to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. India hopes that as a committed FATF member, Singapore will take a strong stance on Pakistan’s financial practices.
Support Against Terrorism Praised
Jha also appreciated Singapore’s support in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in Pahalgam. He recalled that Singapore’s Prime Minister had immediately spoken with India’s Prime Minister and expressed full support against terrorism.
He stated, “We also asked for Singapore’s support for what happened earlier in Pahalgam. Their Prime Minister spoke to our Prime Minister immediately after the incident and said that there is all-out support against terrorism.”
India’s Military Response After Pahalgam Attack
Jha described how India responded decisively after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 people dead. He said the Indian Air Force carried out targeted airstrikes in Pakistan, destroying nine terrorist hideouts without causing harm to civilians or military bases.
“After two weeks (of the Pahalgam terrorist attack), the Indian Air Force attacked nine terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan. The attack was carried out with precision. We demolished all nine terrorist hubs. We did not attack any civilian or military base. They also launched attacks on India. We defended and later we attacked their air base, then the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistan approached for the ceasefire. The entire country is one when it comes to India’s safety, security. We are going to five countries. This is our third country. We have to fight against terrorism together,” he said.
Broad-Based Diplomatic Outreach by Indian Delegation
The multi-party Indian delegation also met with current and former Members of Parliament in Singapore, as well as senior representatives from academic institutions, businesses, and cultural organizations. The delegation also had a formal meeting with India’s High Commissioner to Singapore, Ambassador Shilpak Ambule.
Delegation Composition and Purpose
The delegation, led by JD(U)’s Sanjay Kumar Jha, includes several MPs and leaders from different parties such as BJP’s Aparajita Sarangi, Brij Lala, Pradan Baruah, Hemang Joshi; TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee; CPI-M’s John Brittas; and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid and Mohan Kumar.
This visit is part of a larger diplomatic campaign launched by the Indian government after Operation Sindoor. The Modi government has sent out seven multi-party delegations to different countries to expose Pakistan’s links to terrorism and to reinforce India’s strong stand of zero tolerance toward terrorist acts.
Background: Operation Sindoor
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22. That attack was carried out by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists and resulted in the death of 26 civilians. In retaliation, India’s armed forces destroyed terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The operation led to the killing of over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
