Earlier this month, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan urged Kashmiri protesters not to cross the border between Pakistan- and India-administered Kashmir, as it would strengthen New Delhi’s narrative that Islamabad supports Kashmiri militants.
He also said that any border violation would be damaging for the Kashmiris, who have been in a state of lockdown since August 5, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special, semiautonomous status.
Khan would not have issued the warning under normal circumstances. His caution, analysts say, is a result of Pakistan’s ongoing review by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
FATF put Pakistan on its “gray list” in June 2018, and gave Islamabad an October 2019 deadline to take action against home-grown militant Islamist groups and cut off their funding.
The international body is set to announce on Friday whether Pakistan has done enough to avoid the FATF “black list,” which includes only two countries — Iran and North Korea.
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Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks
2007 – Twin blasts rock Karachi on former PM’s return
Two bomb blasts struck former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s motorcade on October 18, 2007 in the southern port city of Karachi. Bhutto was returning to Pakistan after almost eight years. The attack left 139 people dead. Bhutto, the first democratically elected female head of an Islamic country, died in an attack two months later, on December 27 in the northern city of Rawalpindi.
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Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks
2008 – Wah bombing
The Wah bombing was a double suicide attack on the Pakistan Ordinance Factories (POF) in Wah on August 21, 2008. At least 64 people died in the attack, which remains to date the deadliest on a military site in Pakistan’s history. A spokesman from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.
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Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks
2008 – Insurgents target luxury hotel in the capital
At least 60 people died and over 200 were injured when a truck filled with explosives detonated in front of the Marriot Hotel on September 20, 2008, in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. Five foreign nationals were among the casualties, while another 15 were injured.
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Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks
2009 – Peshawar bombing
A car bomb was detonated in Mina Bazar (a market for women and children) in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. The bomb killed 125 people and injured more than 200 others. The Pakistani government put the blame on the Taliban, but both Taliban and al-Qaida denied involvement in the attack.
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Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks
2009 – Market in Lahore targeted
The December 2009 Lahore attacks were a series of two bomb blasts and a shooting which occurred in a crowded market in the country’s second largest city of Lahore on December 7. At least 66 people were killed. Most of the victims were women.
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Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks
2010 – Suicide bomber targets volleyball match
A suicide car bomb killed 101 people at a village volleyball game in the northwestern district of Bannu.
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Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks
2010 – Lahore Massacre
The May 2010 Lahore attacks also referred to as the Lahore Massacre occurred on May 28, 2010, during Friday prayers. 82 people were killed in simultaneous attacks against two mosques of the Ahmadi minority. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attacks.
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Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks
2010 – Bomber targets market in tribal area
A suicide bomber killed 105 people in a busy market in the northwestern tribal district of Mohmand. The suicide bombing occurred on July 9 in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. The target of the attack was believed to be a meeting of tribal elders. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attacks.
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Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks
2011 – Police training center in Charsadda attacked
A double bombing occurred on May 13, 2011, in Shabqadar Fort in the Charsadda District of northwestern Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Two suicide bombers killed at least 98 people outside the police training center. At least 140 people were injured. The explosions occurred while cadets were getting into buses for a ten day leave after their training course.
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Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks
2013 – Peshawar church bombing
On September 22, 2013, a twin suicide attack took place at All Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan. It was the deadliest attack on the Christian minority in the country, killing 82 people. The TTP-linked Islamist group, Jundalah, claimed responsibility for the attack.
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Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks
2014 – Peshawar school massacre
On December 16, 2014, seven gunmen affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) conducted a terrorist attack on the Army Public School in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. The militants opened fire on school staff and children, killing 154 people, including 132 school children. This was the deadliest terrorist attack ever to occur in the country.
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Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks
2015 – Gunmen target bus in Karachi
Eight gunmen attacked a bus on May 13, 2015, in Safoora Goth, in Karachi, Pakistan. The shooting left at least 46 people dead. All of the victims were from the Ismaili Shia Muslim minority. Banned militant group Jundallah claimed responsibility for the shooting. Also, pamphlets supporting the Islamic State terrorist group, with whom Jundallah claims allegiance, were found at the crime scene.
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Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks
2016 – Lahore park bombing
On March 27, 2016, at least 75 people were killed in a suicide bombing that hit one of the largest parks in Lahore. The attack targeted Christians who were celebrating Easter. Fourteen of the dead were identified as Christians, while the rest were Muslims. The majority of victims were women and children. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a group affiliated with the TTP, claimed responsibility for the attack.
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Pakistan: A decade of deadly terrorist attacks
2016 – Quetta hospital bombing
On August 8, 2016, terrorists targeted the Government Hospital of Quetta in Pakistan with a suicide bombing and shooting that resulted in the death of over 70 People. The fatalities were mainly lawyers who had assembled at the hospital where the body of fellow attorney, Bilal Anwar Kasi, president of the Balochistan Bar Association, was brought after he was shot dead by an unknown gunman.
Author: Aasim Saleem
Being “blacklisted” by the 37-nation bloc could have serious implications for Pakistan’s already fragile economy, as possible sanctions would not allow the country from seeking the financial loans it needs on a regular basis.
FATF could also decide to keep the South Asian country on its “gray list,” which would mean that it believes that Pakistan’s financial system continues to pose a risk to the international financial system because of “strategic deficiencies” in its ability to prevent terror financing and money laundering.
Read more: Global terror watchlist: Will Pakistan change its Afghanistan policy?
The FATF “gray list” list also features Ethiopia, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Vanuatu and Tunisia. Last year, Bosnia and Herzegovina were shifted to the “white list.”
Has Pakistan gone after terrorists?
In August, Hammad Azhar, Pakistan’s minister for economic affairs, said that Pakistan would “do everything to promote peace in the region,” adding that it was improbable that Pakistan would be placed on the FATF “black list.”
“We have explicitly told all the participants of the APG (FATF’s Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering) that Pakistan is working exactly per the requirements of FATF and would accomplish them soon,” he said.
Sources in Paris say Pakistan has completely or partly compiled with most of the 40 FATF demands, albeit some of them need more work.
Read more: Opinion: Imran Khan — one year of stumbling ineptitude
Prime Minister Khan’s government did take some steps to allay the concerns of the international community. The authorities detained Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, and arrested four top officials of Saeed’s Lashkar-e-Taiba group on charges of terrorism financing.
Alice Wells, head of the US state department’s South and Central Asian Bureau, welcomed the measures, saying that “Pakistan, for its own future, must prevent militant groups from operating on its soil.”
India, however, is still unsatisfied with Pakistan’s counterterrorism measures, alleging they’re an eyewash and demanding FATF to blacklist the country.
“Islamabad has no other option but to act against militants. The international community is demanding Pakistan’s security establishment to put things in order,” Khalid Hameed Farooqi, a Brussels-based senior Pakistani journalist and diplomatic affairs analyst, told DW.
He added that former PM Nawaz Sharif’s government had taken several legislative actions to rein in Islamists, but the country’s powerful military continued to back some proxy jihadist groups.
Read more: What is Pakistan’s militancy issue all about?
“In 2017, the Pakistani government sent several top diplomats to Washington, Paris and Brussels, to highlight Indian atrocities in Kashmir. But the officials in these Western capitals clearly told them to act against Hafiz Saeed first,” said Farooqi, underlining the importance of Saeed’s arrest in avoiding the FATF black list.
But Amjad Shoaib, a retired military official and defense analyst, says that FATF is “an instrument in the hands of big powers.”
“India and the US have ganged up against Pakistan. We should not be blackmailed. There is no evidence against Hafiz Saeed. Still we arrested him. These are all pressure tactics,” Shoaib stressed.
No long-term strategy
Security analysts say that Pakistani authorities are only focused on avoiding FATF’s “black list” instead of tackling the issue on a long-term basis. They say the country’s longstanding security policies regarding India and Afghanistan have remained intact.
Islamabad’s ties with New Delhi and Kabul have only deteriorated in the past few years, with Afghan and Indian authorities accusing Pakistan of aiding militant groups.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have increased manifold this year due to an escalating Kashmir conflict. On the other hand, Pakistan’s efforts to broker a peace deal between the US and the Afghan Taliban have so far not yielded result.
Read more: Pakistan says ‘action being taken against Jaish-e-Mohammed’ militant group
“FATF is pressuring Pakistan so that it can bring the Taliban to a peace settlement. The ‘black list’ threat is being used to force Pakistan to serve American interests,” said Shoaib.
But Usman Kakar, a Pakistani senator, says shifting blame on others won’t help Pakistan. “It is unfortunate that Pakistan is still distinguishing between good and bad militants. We have not taken any concrete action against terrorist organizations,” he said.
“But I think Pakistan is still not going to be blacklisted by FATF because Washington needs Islamabad right now. I think the FATF will give more time to Pakistan,” said Kakar.
“But in the meantime, we must crack down on all extremist and terrorist outfits because it is in our own interest,” he added.
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Militant Haqqani Network – a brief history
Remnants of the Afghan war against Soviets
The Haqqani Network was formed by Jalaluddin Haqqani, who fought against Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s. In 1995, the Haqqani Network allied with the Taliban and the two groups captured the Afghan capital Kabul in 1996. In 2012, the US designated the group a terrorist organization. On September 4, 2018, the Taliban announced that Jalaluddin passed away after a long illness.
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Militant Haqqani Network – a brief history
An Islamist ideologue
Jalaluddin Haqqani was born in 1939 in the Afghan province Paktia. He studied at Darul Uloom Haqqania, which was founded in 1947 by the father of one of Pakistan’s most prominent religious leaders, Maulana Sami ul Haq. Darul Uloom Haqqania is known for its alleged ties with the Taliban and other extremist groups.
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Militant Haqqani Network – a brief history
Jalaluddin Haqqani as Taliban minister
Jalaluddin was made minister for Afghan tribal affairs under the Taliban rule. He remained in the post until the US toppled the Taliban regime in 2001. After the Taliban leader Mullah Omar, Jalaluddin was considered the most influential militant figure in Afghanistan. Jalaluddin also had close links with the former al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden.
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Militant Haqqani Network – a brief history
Where is the Haqqani Network based?
Security experts say the command center of the group is based in Miranshah city of Pakistan’s North Waziristan region along the Afghan border. US and Afghan officials claim the Haqqani Network is backed by the Pakistani military, a charge denied by Pakistani authorities. Washington says the group’s fighters launch attacks on foreign and local troops and civilians inside Afghanistan.
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Militant Haqqani Network – a brief history
The Haqqani heir
It is believed that Jalaluddin Haqqani died in 2015, but his group denied those reports at the time. The network is now headed by Sirajuddin Haqqani, Jalaluddin’s son. Sirajuddin is also the deputy chief of the Taliban.
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Militant Haqqani Network – a brief history
Who is Sirajuddin Haqqani?
Although there isn’t much credible information available about Sirajuddin Haqqani, security experts say he spent his childhood in the Pakistani city of Miranshah. He studied at Darul Uloom Haqqania, situated in Peshawar’s suburbs. Sirajuddin is believed to be an expert on military affairs. Some analysts say Sirajuddin’s views are more hard line than his father’s.
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Militant Haqqani Network – a brief history
Anas Haqqani’s death sentence
One of Jalaluddin’s sons is Anas Haqqani, whose mother hailed from the United Arab Emirates. He is currently in the custody of the Afghan government and is facing the death penalty. The Haqqani Network has warned Kabul of dire consequences if Afghan authorities hang Anas Haqqani.
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Militant Haqqani Network – a brief history
How big is the Haqqani Network?
Research institutes and Afghan affairs experts say the group has between three and ten thousand fighters. The network allegedly receives most of its funding from the Gulf countries. The Haqqani Network is also involved in kidnappings and extortion through which it funds its operations.
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Militant Haqqani Network – a brief history
Ties with other militant groups
The Haqqanis have close relations with other regional and international terrorist organizations such as al Qaeda, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Taiba and Central Asian Islamist groups. Jalauddin Haqqani was not only close to bin Laden, but also had ties with al Qaeda’s current chief Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Author: Atif Baloch
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/fatf-can-pakistan-avoid-global-watchdog-s-terror-black-list/a-50870561?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf