Desperate to escape from FATF’s grey list Pakistan tightens terrorists; Also accepts Dawood is in Karachi

In a desperate attempt to find relief from FATF-blacklisting, Pakistan has imposed tough financial sanctions on 88 banned leaders and members of terrorist groups including Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed and Dawood Ibrahim, in compliance with the news list, issued by the UNSC recently. Pakistan has finally accepted that Dawood Ibrahim is living in Karachi and addressed him as a terrorist.

 

According to a media report, the Pakistan government by ordering the seizure of all properties and freezing of bank accounts has proscribed the terrorist leaders, in an effort to clear off its name from the FATF grey list.

 

The global financial watchdog FATF, Financial Action Task Force had blacklisted Pakistan in June 2018 and also asked Islamabad to implement a plan of action by the end of 2019, however, the deadline was extended later due to prevalent COVID 19 crisis.

 

The Pakistan government issued two notifications on August 18, announcing sanctions on key figures of banned terror outfits like 26/11 mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, JeM chief Masood Azhar and underworld don Dawood.

 

The notifications announced sanctions on key figures of banned terror outfits of Pakistan such as Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Taliban, Daesh, Haqqani Group, al-Qaeda, and others. The notifications order seizure of all movable and immovable properties of these outfits and individuals and freezing of their bank accounts.

 

These terrorists have been barred from transferring money through financial institutions, purchasing arms and traveling abroad, etc.

 

The notifications ratified a complete ban on all leaders and members of defunct Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hiding in the Pak-Afghan border areas.

 

As per the report, terrorist Hafiz Saeed Ahmad of JuD, Mohammad Masood Azhar of JeM, Mullah Fazlullah (alias Mullah Radio), Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Muhammad Yahya Mujahid, Abdul Hakeem Murad, wanted by Interpol, Noor Wali Mehsud, Fazal Raheem Shah of Uzbekistan Liberation Movement, Taliban leaders Jalaluddin Haqqani, Khalil Ahmad Haqqani, Yahya Haqqani and Dawood Ibrahim of Indian state of Maharashtra and his associates all were in the list.

 

The notifications said that leadership of the defunct TTP, and other terror organizations including LeT, JeM, LeJ, Tariq Geedar group of TTP, Harkatul Mujahedin, Al Rasheed Trust, Al Akhtar Trust, Tanzim Jaish-al Muhajireen Ansar, Jamaat-ul Ahrar, Tanzim Khutba Imam Bukhari, Rabita Trust Lahore, Revival of Islamic Heritage Society of Pakistan, Al-Harmain Foundation Islamabad, Harkat Jihad Al Islami, Islami Jihad Group, Uzbekistan Islami Tehrik, Daesh of Iraq, Emirates of Tanzim Qafqaz working against Russia, and Abdul Haq Uyghurs of the Islamic Freedom Movement of China have been banned.

 

The Pakistan government has also ratified the ban on these terror outfits and individuals. The UNSC Sanctions Committee deals with sanctions on entities and individuals declared as terrorists. All states, including Pakistan, are bound to implement the sanctions which include asset freezing, an arms embargo, and travel ban.

 

Meanwhile, the Pakistan government’s move is seen to be part of its desperate attempt to pull out its name of the grey list of the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog FATF.

 

If Pakistan fails to comply with the FATF directive by October, it will be difficult for the country to get financial aid from the IMF, World Bank, ADB, and the European Union and there are high chances that FATF may put Pakistan in the ‘grey list’ thus further multiplying the financial crises that it already faces.