Pak off FATF Grey List; ‘Black Spot’ on Fight Against Terror Irks India; J&K Guv Says 'World is Watching'

In what can be termed as ?travesty of the fight against terror?, Pakistan is free of the control of the world anti-money-laundering body, even the proposal for which, last week, had led to anger in New Delhi. The country sought removal from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) Grey List, claiming it has “complied with 11 conditions”, including prevention of money laundering and terrorism financing, according to a top diplomatic source. Pakistan has been on the list since June 2018.

Commenting on Pakistan’s move to get out of the FATF list, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, in an exclusive interview with News18, said, ?Our neighbour is not happy with peace in India?The world is watching which country is aiding terrorism?Our ministry of external affairs (MEA) is vigilant and takes appropriate action.”

News18 had reported on October 14 that Pakistan is expected to submit a response to the FATF’s objections regarding the non-sustainable implementation of the 11 conditions of the Asia-Pacific Group. “Pakistan’s alleged compliance is only an eye-wash,” a senior Indian official had told News18. “The terror camps still exist in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. And the madrasas are still operating on the Jihad model.”

India, which has been the target of terrorism originating in Pakistan, is dismayed that countries which profess to be friendly to New Delhi are willy-nilly sending Islamabad the signal that they countenance illicit activities that fund terror.

News18 has been consistently reporting on the terror activities from across the border. In July, News18 had reported how facilitated by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), terror camps are being run in three clusters of the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) region. Top intelligence sources also recently told News18 that ISI is trying to push in as many as terrorists as possible in Kashmir before winters to prove to the world that the Valley is “unstable”.

Being put on the Grey List means the country cannot control money-laundering and terror-financing operations and is put under increased monitoring by FATF, an inter-governmental body.

THE GREY LIST

Being on the Grey List restricts a country?s access to the international trade and financial system.

The country can face difficulty in getting loans from multilateral organisations like International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. Being on the FATF grey list is a warning to the countries to take corrective measures, failing which they will be moved to the stringent ‘FATF Black List’.

Syria, Turkey, Myanmar, Philippines, South Sudan, Uganda, and Yemen are among the 23 countries on the list.

The FATF was established in July 1989 by a G-7 Summit in Paris, initially to examine and develop measures to combat money laundering. After the 9/11 attacks in the US, the FATF in October 2001 expanded its mandate to incorporate efforts to combat terrorist financing, and in April 2012, it added efforts to counter the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

PAK?s ATTEMPTS TO deSTABLISE INDIA

News18 report had detailed how the clusters are Manshera, Muzzafarabad and Kotli, said sources, adding that all groups, namely the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Al-Badar and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, are running camps there. The Manshera cluster has camps at Boi, Balakot, Garhi Habibullah. The Muzzafarabad cluster has camps at Chelabandi, Shawainala, Abdullah Bin Masood and Dulai. The 3 POK brigade of Pak army is coordinating the activities of Sensa, Kotli, Gulpur, Fagosh and Dubgi camps of Kotli cluster.

Police in J&K have said that Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terror outfit was behind the recent twin blasts in Udhampur which were carried out ahead of the high-profile visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to suggest that all is not well in the Union Territory.

Exclusive classified information accessed by CNN-News18 reveals that Pakistan has shifted all its terror camps and launch pads near the line of control (LoC). The locations have been chosen in such a way that every launch pad and terror camp is just a few kilometres away from the border. The terror camps belong to jihadi groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). Also, LeT, in cahoots with the ISI and the Pakistan Army, has been sending weapons, ammunition, and explosives across the border via drones, officials told CNN-News18.

Read the Latest News and Breaking News here