SOURCE: SUNDAY GUARDIAN LIVE
After the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) kept Pakistan on “grey list” till next review, Indian diplomats have now their work cut out for them. The next “task” for them is to ensure that Pakistan gets blacklisted when its case comes up for a review at the next plenary of the global terror financing watchdog in February 2021.
Sources told The Sunday Guardian that several diplomats and ambassadors deployed in Pakistan, US, UK, Germany and France have been asked to start working towards this goal right now “without wasting time”. “Push for Pakistan’s blacklisting by FATF now is a clear message to them,” a source told TSG.
These officials will be closely monitoring the decisions by the Imran Khan government in Pakistan regarding action, if at all any, against terror organisations which are on India’s radar. Indian High Commission in Islamabad, Embassy in Washington and diplomats in the UN have been asked to keep a close eye on the activities of Pakistan.
Sources said the MEA will be taking regular updates from them to convert inputs into a comprehensive documented report to be submitted to the UN and FATF secretariat after a few months. Top MEA officials will be in regular touch with these diplomats. Personal meetings will be preferred between the officials, sources added.
These are the same diplomats who have been lobbying with the FATF officials and member nations for the past several weeks to ensure that Pakistan does not get out of the grey list. Their efforts yielded a positive result, with Pakistan’s hope of getting out of the grey list having been dashed by FATF.
Indian officials believe that Pakistan will still fail to deliver on action against organisations linked to terror groups banned by UNSC. Pakistan will again delay prosecution of banned terrorists like Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed and Let operative commander Zaki Ur Rahman Lakhvi, and Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar. These are the most wanted terrorists who featured in the list that was submitted by India to Pakistan. Another terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, who is also most wanted one by India, continues to enjoy Pakistan’s patronage. This is what will put Pakistan in trouble again at FATF like this time also, MEA officials believe.
“On the basis of inputs and evidence collected by the team of diplomats, MEA will come out with a detailed report on how Pakistan continues to be a safe haven for the terror organisations proscribed by the UN,” sources said.
“The report containing such evidence to expose Pakistan om the issue of terrorism will be given to UN, FATF and other international organisations where Imran Khan has also deployed his diplomats for damage-control,” said an official.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry officials had also been active for the past one month to curry favour with FATF. “Through them, the Imran government tried to play victim card as far as terrorism is concerned,” sources said. But India kept submitting important inputs to FATF from time to time to counter Pakistan’s propaganda on the issue of terrorism.
