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Pakistan's likely exit from FATF grey list worry Indian security agencies

Pakistan was put on the FATF grey list in June 2018

Pakistans likely exit from FATF grey list worry Indian security agencies
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Come October, Pakistan may be removed from the ''grey list'' of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global watchdog for combating terror financing.

The impact is not expected to be positive for India as intelligence agencies are warning of an increase in terror activities with Pakistan-based terror groups pushing arms and weapons into Jammu and Kashmir.

There are reports of arms and IEDs being sent into Kashmir in a big way, and the Jammu and Kashmir police has strengthened the security grid in the face of increased threats.

However, with Pakistan escaping the pressure of the FATF grey list, both terror acts and terror financing are expected to pick up in a big way, targeting Indian hinterland through J&K.

Sources in the security establishment said Islamabad's measures, a list of actionable points shared with FATF, are a smokescreen to show its commitment to combating terror, while the reality is that the country remains a safe haven for terrorists and terror financing activities.

The biggest example is that convictions have not happened in the 26/11 terror attack case in Pakistan and Sajid Mir, one of the chief perpetrators of the crime, is still roaming freely.

No action has also been taken against Talha Saeed, son of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed who is the new face of Jamaat-e-Dawa (JuD).

According to intelligence agencies, Talha is next in line to take over functions of JuD, the parent body of the globally proscribed Lashkar e Tayyaba.

Recently, Pakistan had sentenced Hafiz Saeed to 32 years imprisonment in terror financing cases, seen by New Delhi as a token move to fulfil the FATF requirements.

The latest worry is that once Pakistan is taken off the grey list and the internal clamp down is officially over, there may be a spurt in cross border terror threats, especially purchasing and routing arms and IEDs across the border to equip cadres of terror groups present in the valley to stoke unrest.

However, the silver lining is that Pakistan has taken some steps due to the FATF pressure which would not have been possible despite mounting pressure by India, US and other countries.

FIRs and chargesheets were filed against many terrorists whose names figured in the dossier shared by New Delhi even as eight UN listed terrorists were prosecuted and convicted who were specific to India-centric operations as well as 33 others who were not on the UN list as well.

Pakistan was put on the FATF grey list in June 2018 during its plenary and was directed to implement several action plans.

Since then, Pakistan has been making desperate attempts to demonstrate some action against terror groups on its soil.

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