India is gearing up to get Pakistan blacklisted during the upcoming plenary of the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Indian officials are preparing to push New Delhi’s agenda on two fronts.
First, India has an agenda of getting Pakistan blacklisted for terror financing by sharing evidence to establish that fact. Second, India has to counter China’s move in support of Pakistan during the plenary of Paris-based financial watchdog. Sources said that South Block is aware of Beijing’s possible move to try and get Pakistan off the grey list during the FATF plenary to be held virtually from 21-23 October.
Therefore, India has decided to ramp up global pressure against Pakistan in view of the fact that it continues to run the business of terror as usual, sources said. Sources said that Indian officials will have a tough task of countering the agenda of both Pakistan and China during the meet. FATF’s big meet is going to be held at a time when India and China are engaged in a standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh region.
The FATF plenary is the highest decision-making body, and India will have a much-needed opportunity to get Pakistan blacklisted and also to expose China on the ground how it is supporting such a tainted country.
Pakistan has been on the grey list of the FATF since June 2018 when its plenary was held that time. Islamabad had been given a 27-point action plan, and was asked to fulfil them and come prepared with convincing details, sources said. According to sources, Pakistan has been able to fulfil only five targets by then.
The FATF was quite upset with Pakistan on this and warned it that if it does not fulfill all the action plan requirements, it will be placed in the category of high-risk jurisdiction, which is known as black list as well. India’s prime agenda at FATF plenary is to nail the lies of Pakistan vis-à-vis terrorism. New Delhi will counter Pakistan’s claim of acting against terrorism. “MEA, Home Ministry as well as Defence Ministry officials will be meeting soon to fine-tune the agenda,” an official told The Daily Guardian.
He said that India has already enough evidence to prove that Pakistan’s state actors continue to support terrorist outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba. The officials working with FATF are not convinced with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s claim that his government is working sincerely to dismantle the terror network in his country. India has already apprised the FATF of how Imran Khan’s government issued two notifications giving details of the present status of 88 terrorists and their organisations to the United Nations. These terrorists included Dawood Ibrahim and Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed. Both are in the list of most wanted terrorists that India has given to Pakistan.
But Islamabad has taken no action against them, but on the contrary the Imran government is patronising them, says an official. This will be included in India’s documents to be presented at the FATF meet. “Apart from this, India’s effort will be to expose China which seeks to defend Pakistan at the virtual plenary. China’s stand in favour of a nation that supports terrorists will give India much-needed and an apt opportunity to drive home the message that Beijing cannot also be seen as a responsible country,” sources said.