Indian army chief hopes that Pakistan will act against terror groups
NEW DELHI :
Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Saturday said he hopes that
Islamabad will act against terror groups based on its soil after
Pakistan was retained on the “grey list" of the Paris based Financial
Action Task Force (FATF).
“There is pressure on them. To be on such a ‘Grey List’ is a setback for any nation," Rawat said according to a video clip posted on Twitter by ANI news agency.
The global finance watchdog on Friday said Pakistan has failed on 22 of 27 counts or parameters set by an FATF action plan to prove that it was complying with promises it had made in June last year while being put in the “grey list."
India is yet to officially react to the development with no comments as yet by the Indian foreign ministry.
According to the FATF on Friday, Pakistan now has only until February 2020 to improve its counter-terror financing operations or face being put in its black list that has countries like Iran and North Korea in it. This means greater global scrutiny of financial transactions, which could hit investments and business.
The FATF listed 10 steps it expects Pakistan to take to counter terror financing, including targeted actions against UN-designated global terrorists such as Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar.
Without taking specific names, an official statement said Pakistan must effectively implement targeted financial sanctions against all terrorists designated under UN Security Council resolutions 1267 and 1373 and those acting on their behalf, including preventing the raising and moving of funds, freezing assets, and prohibiting access to funds and financial services.
People familiar with the developments said Pakistan was saved from being included in the blacklist because of the stance adopted by China, Turkey and Malaysia; opposition by three of the 39 members of FATF is enough to block a move within the watchdog.
India’s global partners in the fight against terror, such as France, worked hard behind the scenes in recent days to ensure Pakistan did not get off lightly.
Pakistan’s ministry of finance said in a statement on Friday that the country’s delegation reaffirmed its political commitment to fully implement the action plan.
“There is pressure on them. To be on such a ‘Grey List’ is a setback for any nation," Rawat said according to a video clip posted on Twitter by ANI news agency.
The global finance watchdog on Friday said Pakistan has failed on 22 of 27 counts or parameters set by an FATF action plan to prove that it was complying with promises it had made in June last year while being put in the “grey list."
India is yet to officially react to the development with no comments as yet by the Indian foreign ministry.
According to the FATF on Friday, Pakistan now has only until February 2020 to improve its counter-terror financing operations or face being put in its black list that has countries like Iran and North Korea in it. This means greater global scrutiny of financial transactions, which could hit investments and business.
The FATF listed 10 steps it expects Pakistan to take to counter terror financing, including targeted actions against UN-designated global terrorists such as Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar.
Without taking specific names, an official statement said Pakistan must effectively implement targeted financial sanctions against all terrorists designated under UN Security Council resolutions 1267 and 1373 and those acting on their behalf, including preventing the raising and moving of funds, freezing assets, and prohibiting access to funds and financial services.
People familiar with the developments said Pakistan was saved from being included in the blacklist because of the stance adopted by China, Turkey and Malaysia; opposition by three of the 39 members of FATF is enough to block a move within the watchdog.
India’s global partners in the fight against terror, such as France, worked hard behind the scenes in recent days to ensure Pakistan did not get off lightly.
Pakistan’s ministry of finance said in a statement on Friday that the country’s delegation reaffirmed its political commitment to fully implement the action plan.
Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/indian-army-chief-hopes-that-pakistan-will-act-against-terror-groups-11571462041394.html
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