PAKISTAN BACK TO ITS OLD WAYS, ‘DECEPTION GAME’ WITH FATF EXPOSED

The greylisting by Paris-based international watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has forced Islamabad to take action, albeit in a limited sense, against some of the UN-designated terrorists. However, with the possibility of getting off the grey list now, Pakistan seems to be already heading back to its old games. Pakistan’s recent action on Lashkar e Taiba (LeT) operational commander Sajid Mir, which it kept on declaring dead until now, is the result of FATF’s persistent pressure on Pakistan. It also shows duplicity and insincerity on the part of Pakistan to deal effectively against terrorists that reside and operate in the country, according to South Asia Press.

It is a well-known fact that LeT has changed its name several times in the last two decades and continues to operate in Pakistan. It was known as Jamat ud Dawa (JuD) for some time now, but when that was banned, it reincarnated itself as Falah e Insaniyat Foundation, which also came under scrutiny, and is now called Allah u Akbar Tehreek. The persistent question once again arises: will FATF’s pressure make Pakistan deliver on other UN-designated terrorists, including Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar? It seems unlikely. Pakistan maintains that Azhar is not present in Pakistan and is likely to be in Afghanistan.

Despite claims by Pakistan that he is not traceable, he continues to publish articles on Pakistani social media networks exhorting JeM cadres to indulge in Jihad and eulogising the Taliban takeover of Kabul, claiming that Taliban victory would open avenues for Muslim victories elsewhere, reported South Asia Press.

It appears that despite the FATF retaining Pakistan in its “grey list” for money laundering and terror financing, leaders of Pakistan-based proscribed organisations like the JuD and JeM have been able to continue with their activities, inciting youth for Jihad.