FATF keeps Pakistan on grey list for terror funding

Team Udayavani, Feb 23, 2019, 3:35 AM IST

New Delhi: The international terror financing watchdog FATF condemned the Pulwama terror attack and decided to continue the ‘Gray’ listing of Pakistan for its failure to stop funding of terrorist groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamat-ud-Dawa.

In a statement, the Paris-headquartered Financial Action Task Force (FATF) said Pakistan should continue to work on implementing its action plan to address its strategic deficiencies, including by adequately demonstrating its proper understanding of the terror financing risks posed by the terrorist groups and conducting supervision on a risk-sensitive basis.

“The FATF notes with grave concern and condemns the violent terrorist attack last week that killed at least 40 Indian security forces in Pulwama in the State of Jammu and Kashmir,” it said after the week-long FATF plenary held in Paris.

“Pakistan has revised its TF (terror financing) risk assessment. However, it does not demonstrate a proper understanding of the TF risks posed by Da’esh (ISIS), AL-Qaida, JuD (Jamat-ud-Dawa), FIF (Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation), LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba), JeM (Jaish-e-Mohammad), HQN (Haqqani Network) and persons affiliated with the Taliban,” the statement said.

Given the limited progress on action plan items due in January 2019, the FATF urged Pakistan to swiftly complete its action plan.

An Indian official, who attended the FATF plenary, explained that placement in compliance document means putting the country in ‘Gray’ list and it will be reviewed again in June 2019. In June 2018, Pakistan was placed in the ‘Gray’ list and given a 27-point action plan by the FATF.

The decision has been taken after several rounds of deliberations during the plenary where India submitted new information about Pakistan-based terrorist groups, including Jaish-e-Mohammad, responsible for the Pulwama attack.