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  • Pakistan remains on global watchdog's terror financing ‘grey list'


Pakistan remains on global watchdog's terror financing ‘grey list'

Financial Action Task Force plenary session in progress on Feb. 19, 2020 in Paris. (Photo courtesy: FATF/File)
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Updated 02 March 2021
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Pakistan remains on global watchdog's terror financing ‘grey list'

  • The country has completed 21 out of 27 items of the global financial watchdog’s action plan, acknowledges FATF officials
  • The government of Pakistan has signaled the commitment to complete the rest of the action plan, says the FATF president
Updated 02 March 2021
KHURSHID AHMED   

KARACHI: The global financial watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), decided on Friday to keep Pakistan on its “grey list” while acknowledging that the country had made significant progress in meeting international anti-terrorism financing norms and should not be downgraded to the “blacklist.”

The FATF began its virtual plenary meeting on October 21 under the first two-year German presidency of Dr Marcus Pleyer.

“Pakistan will remain our increased monitoring list,” he announced after the end of the conference. “The plenary recognizes that Pakistan has made progress. The government has now completed 21 out of 27 items of its action plan. The government of Pakistan has signaled the commitment to complete the rest of its action plan.”

“Even though Pakistan has made progress it needs to do more,” he continued. “It cannot stop now and needs to carry out reforms in particular to implement targeted financial sanctions and prosecuting sanctions financing terrorism.”

Responding to a question, the FATF president said that onsite inspection would be carried out after the next plenary in February 2021 to decide about Pakistan’s exclusion from the grey list.

 

 

Pakistan was placed on the list of countries with inadequate controls over terrorism financing by the FATF in June 2018.

The Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), an inter-governmental organization in the Asia-Pacific region, issued the first Follow Up Report (FUR) on Pakistan last month.

The report reflected the country’s performance until February 2020 and noted that it had complied with only two recommendations related to financial institution secrecy laws and financial intelligence units out of 40 recommendations on the effectiveness of anti-money laundering and combating financing terror (AML/CFT) system.

However, Pakistan managed to pass three crucial FATF-related laws during a joint session of parliament in September this year. With these laws, the country managed to comply with most of the legislation required by the international watchdog to strength the country’s financial system.

The FATF “strongly” urged Pakistan in February this year to complete its full action plan by June 2020, warning it would take action against the country which could include advising financial institutions to give special attention to business relations and transactions with Pakistan. Later, the deadline was extended and the country was given time until October 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pakistan also punished Hafiz Saeed, a Jamaat-ud-Dawa leader, in a terror financing case and decided to send him to prison for five and a half years.

Commenting on the FATF decision, financial experts said the decision to keep Pakistan on grey list owed to the government’s hasty legislation.

“The most vital issue relates to the roles assigned to the AML-CFT authority and self-regulatory bodies. These laws give powers to regulate AML-CFT to various government and professional bodies. They were not carefully drafted, create conflict of interest, and are complicated and ambiguous,” Dr Ikram ul Haq, a Lahore-based senior economist, said after the FATF decision.

The FATF blacklist have international pariah states like Iran and North Korea, and these countries are shunned by international financial institutions.

Topics: Pakistan FATF Financial Action Task Force (FATF) watchdog terrorism money laundering FATF grey list

PM says no ‘conceivable advantage’ for Pakistan in Indian-administered Kashmir attack

Updated 7 sec ago
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PM says no ‘conceivable advantage’ for Pakistan in Indian-administered Kashmir attack

  • Public anger has swelled in India since the attack and PM Narendra Modi has vowed to pursue the attackers ‘to the ends of the earth’
  • The Pakistani information minister says New Delhi has offered no evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in the attack that killed 26 people
Updated 7 sec ago
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan would gain no “conceivable advantage” by involving itself in an incident like the Pahalgam attack in Indian-administered Kashmir at a time when it is on the path to economic stability, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday, amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi over the attack that killed 26 people on April 22.
India has accused Pakistan of backing the attack, which Islamabad denies. The nuclear-armed rivals have since expelled each other’s diplomats and citizens, ordered the border shut and closed their airspace to each other. New Delhi has also suspended a crucial water-sharing treaty with Islamabad.
Soldiers on each side have also exchanged fire along their de facto border, driving tensions between India and Pakistan to their highest point in recent years. The situation prompted US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to call senior officials in India and Pakistan this week in an effort to defuse the crisis.
The tensions come at a time when Pakistan is treading a long, tricky path to economic recovery under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program since averting a default on its foreign debt obligations in 2023. Islamabad has reached out countries in Central Asia and beyond to boost trade as economic indicators significantly improved in the South Asian country.
“Pakistan condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and underscored the nation’s sacrifices in the war against terror,” PM Sharif said in his conversation with Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, underscoring his nation’s hard-earned economic gains over the past year.
“Pakistan would gain no conceivable advantage by involving itself in any such incident at a time when it was on the path to economic stability.”
Sharif reiterated his call for a credible, transparent and neutral international investigation into the Pahalgam attack, expressing concerns over India’s “weaponization of the waters of the Indus Basin.”
India on April 23 suspended the World Bank-mediated Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 that ensures water for 80 percent of Pakistani farms, saying it would last until “Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.” Islamabad has described India’s move as an “act of war.”
In his conversation with the Pakistan premier, the Qatari emir his country wanted to work with Pakistan toward ensuring the de-escalation of the current crisis.
Public anger has swelled in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to pursue the attackers “to the ends of the earth.” A Pakistani minister has said that Pakistan has “credible intelligence” that India is planning to attack it within days.
Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told CNN on Thursday that India had failed to provide a shred of proof of Pakistan’s involvement in the Pahalgam incident.
“India, after Pahalgam incident, blamed Pakistan without any evidence, but Pakistan has offered a fair and transparent investigation to the matter,” he said, adding that New Delhi had used such incidents as pretexts to attack Pakistan in the past.
“This is not the first time, they have done this before in the past, exploiting such incidents to their advantage.”
On Thursday, Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, reviewed a military training exercise by the armed forces in the eastern Punjab province, the military said.
It said in a statement that the “exercise was meticulously designed to validate combat readiness, battlefield synergy, and the operational integration of cutting-edge weapon systems under near-battlefield conditions.”
“Let there be no ambiguity: any military misadventure by India will be met with a swift, resolute, and notch-up response,” the statement quoted Munir as saying. “While Pakistan remains committed to regional peace, our preparedness and resolve to safeguard national interests is absolute.”
The Indian army in a statement on Thursday said it responded to “unprovoked” small arms fire from Pakistan in the Kupwara, Uri and Akhnoor sectors of Indian-controlled Kashmir. The previous day, Pakistan’s state-run media said Indian forces had violated the ceasefire agreement along the de facto border in Kashmir by initiating fire with heavy weapons on troops in the Mandal sector of Azad Kashmir. The incidents could not be independently verified.
The region of Kashmir is split between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety. The two countries have fought two wars and one limited conflict over the Himalayan territory.
The United Nations (UN) has urged the arch-rivals to talk, while China, which shares its border with both India and Pakistan, this week repeated its call on both sides to “exercise restraint.” Saudi Arabia has said Riyadh was trying to “prevent an escalation,” while Iran has offered to mediate the crisis.

Topics: Azad Jammu and Kashmir

Pakistan saw ‘sharp’ 22 percent decline in militant attacks in April, says think tank 

Updated 35 min 14 sec ago
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Pakistan saw ‘sharp’ 22 percent decline in militant attacks in April, says think tank 

  • Pakistan’s security forces have been battling twin insurgencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan provinces
  • April also marked the lowest monthly death toll among security forces since June 2024, says think tank’s report
Updated 35 min 14 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Pakistan witnessed a sharp decline in militant attacks during April, an Islamabad-based think tank said in its report this week, saying that they dropped by a whopping 22 percent compared to the previous month, March. 

The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based think tank, said in its monthly report that both militant attacks and resultant casualties dropped sharply compared to March. 

Pakistan’s security forces have been battling twin insurgencies in its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and southwestern Balochistan provinces. In KP, the Pakistani Taliban frequently carry out some of the deadliest attacks against security forces while in Balochistan, Pakistani troops are battling ethnic Baloch separatists seeking independence from the state.

“The number of militant attacks fell by 22 percent— from 105 in March to 82 in April— while fatalities and injuries declined by 63 percent and 49 percent, respectively,” the PICSS said in its press release on Thursday. 

The report said Pakistani security forces killed 203 militants in various operations throughout the month. Militants formed an overwhelming majority (73 percent) of the total fatalities in April, while only four casualties were reported. Of these, two were civilians and two were security personnel, it added. 

“A total of 287 people were killed in April due to militant violence and security operations, down from 335 in March,” the think tank said. 

The report said April also marked the lowest monthly death toll among security forces since June 2024, noting that civilian deaths also dropped significantly last month. 

“PICSS attributed these improvements to proactive intelligence-led operations and enhanced border vigilance,” it said. 

The report said the most “consequential development” of the month was a two-phase military operation near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border that targeted a large group of infiltrating Pakistani Taliban militants. 

“At least 71 militants were killed— making it the biggest loss suffered by the group in a single operation to date,” the report said. 

The think tank also noted the resurgence of attacks on local peace committee members in tribal districts who have historically resisted militant infiltrations.

“The resurgence of attacks on these volunteers, particularly in the tribal districts, suggests that groups like the TTP [Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan] are attempting to reassert dominance by silencing local resistance structures,” it said. 

The report said mainland KP recorded 37 militant attacks in April, marginally down from 42 in March while tribal districts reported 17 attacks last month, slightly down from 18 in March. Balochistan witnessed 21 militant attacks in April, compared to 35 in March while Punjab reported three and Sindh four attacks in April. 

It said Pakistan’s capital Islamabad remained peaceful in April, with no militant attacks reported for the second consecutive month. 

Topics: Militant attacks

Pakistan army chief vows ‘swift, resolute’ response to any military action by India

Updated 01 May 2025
Shahjahan Khurram  
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Pakistan army chief vows ‘swift, resolute’ response to any military action by India

  • General Syed Asim Munir witnesses Pakistan army’s high-intensity field training exercise drill near Jhelum
  • Tensions surged after India blamed Pakistan for Apr. 22 attack on tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir
Updated 01 May 2025
Shahjahan Khurram  

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir on Thursday vowed that any military misadventure by India would be met with a “swift, resolute” response amid surging tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
These remarks came from Munir while he visited the Tilla Field Firing Ranges (TFFR) near the eastern city of Jhelum to witness “Exercise Hammer Strike,” a high-intensity field training exercise conducted by Pakistan Army’s Mangla Strike Corps. The army continued to hold war exercises on Thursday in a bid to demonstrate its military might to its neighbor. 
Pakistan has vowed to give a befitting and “strong” response to any military action by India as tensions surged after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for being involved in an attack on Indian-administered Kashmir on Apr. 22.
Islamabad has denied involvement in the attack, which killed 26 people and prompted both countries to take several hostile measures against each other. These included India suspending a decades-old water-sharing treaty, suspending visas for Pakistani nationals and declaring its military advisers “persona non grata.” Pakistan responded with tit-for-tat measures. 
“Let there be no ambiguity: any military misadventure by India will be met with a swift, resolute, and notch-up response,” Munir was quoted as saying by Pakistan military’s media wing. “While Pakistan remains committed to regional peace, our preparedness and resolve to safeguard national interests is absolute.”

This handout photo, taken and released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on May 1, 2025, shows Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir speaking during the “Exercise Hammer Strike,” a high-intensity field training exercise conducted by Pakistan Army, at the Tilla Field Firing Ranges (TFFR) in Jhelum, Punjab. (Handout/ISPR)

Munir lauded the high morale, combat proficiency and warfighting spirit of Pakistan’s officers and troops at the firing ranges, terming them the “embodiment of Pakistan Army’s operational excellence.”
The military said that the exercise was designed to validate combat readiness, battlefield synergy and operational integration of cutting-edge weapon systems under near-battlefield conditions. 
“A diverse array of advanced capabilities, including multirole fighter aircraft, combat aviation assets, long-range precision artillery and next-generation field engineering techniques were employed to simulate conventional battlefield scenarios,” it said. 
RUBIO CALLS FOR DE-ESCALATION
Separately, US Secretary of State spoke to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday to discuss the regional situation. As per the US State Department, Rubio urged Islamabad to cooperate in the attack’s investigation and de-escalate the situation. 
“The Secretary urged Pakistani officials’ cooperation in investigating this unconscionable attack,” the State Department said. “He also encouraged Pakistan to work with India to de-escalate tensions, re-establish direct communications, and maintain peace and security in South Asia.”


According to Sharif’s office, the Pakistani premier asked Washington to impress upon India to “act responsibly” and “dial down the rhetoric.”
“He [Sharif] categorically rejected Indian attempts to link Pakistan to the incident and pointed to his call for a transparent, credible, and neutral investigation to bring out the facts,” the PMO said. 
Rubio also spoke to India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Wednesday, expressing sorrow for the loss of lives in the Apr. 22 attack. He also encouraged India to work with Pakistan to de-escalate tensions and maintain peace and security in South Asia, the State Department said.

Topics: ISPR Pakistan India Pakistan India Ties

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India poses serious threats to regional peace, Pakistan tells OIC envoys

Updated 01 May 2025
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India poses serious threats to regional peace, Pakistan tells OIC envoys

  • Tensions surged after India blamed Pakistan for deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on Apr. 22
  • Several countries such as US, UK, Iran, China, Saudi Arabia, UAE and others have called on both sides to show restraint
Updated 01 May 2025
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Ambassador Asim Iftikhar briefed the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Group of Ambassadors about Islamabad’s ongoing tensions with New Delhi on Thursday, state-run media reported, informing them that New Delhi poses serious threats to regional peace and security. 

Tensions have surged between the two countries following a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on Apr. 22 that New Delhi has said Pakistan was involved in. Islamabad denies the charges and has said it will participate in any credible and transparent investigation of the assault. 

Several countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, UK, US and others have called upon both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and avoid a military confrontation. Pakistan has vowed to give a “strong” response to any aggression after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the military freedom to respond to the Kashmir attack during a closed-door meeting earlier this week.

“He informed the participants that India, through its politically motivated, irresponsible and highly provocative behavior, has posed serious threats to regional peace and stability,” Radio Pakistan said on Thursday.

The state-run media said OIC members expressed full support and solidarity with Pakistan, calling for “de-escalation through diplomatic engagement” and urging the resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN Security Council and OIC resolutions.

India and Pakistan both claim the entire disputed Kashmir region but administer only parts of it. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of funding militants in the valley which Islamabad denies. 

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a phone call to impress upon New Delhi to “act responsibly” amid fears of a military confrontation breaking out between nuclear-armed neighbors.

Pakistani state media had also reported that a “timely” response by the Pakistan Air Force on Wednesday had “forced” four Indian Rafale jets to retreat after payrolling near the two nations’ de facto border. 

Topics: Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Pakistan India Ties

‘Treasure of history’: Shikarpur’s fading grandeur tells a story of loss

Updated 01 May 2025
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‘Treasure of history’: Shikarpur’s fading grandeur tells a story of loss

  • Located in southern Sindh, Shikarpur city was once a major regional trade hub
  • The 1947 migration of Hindus left the city’s architectural legacy neglected
Updated 01 May 2025
NAIMAT KHAN

SHIKARPUR, Sindh: Once dubbed the “Paris of Sindh” for its perfumed gardens and vibrant markets, the historic city of Shikarpur in Pakistan’s southeastern region now stands as a shadow of its former self — its havelis weathered, its bazaars dimmed and its legacy slipping into silence.
Founded in 1617, the city was once home to grand mosques, ornate Hindu temples and covered markets. These structures continue to stand as a tribute to Shikarpur’s bygone era, marked by extraordinary economic supremacy and cultural diversity.
The city rose to prominence during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as a powerful trade hub linking South and Central Asia. Its merchants dealt in precious stones, textiles and other high-value goods, extending their influence to markets in Kabul, Bukhara, Samarkand and beyond.
“It’s like a treasure of history. It’s like a treasure of heritage sites,” said Professor Anila Naeem, whose 2017 book, Urban Traditions and Historic Environments in Sindh: A Fading Legacy of Shikarpur, extensively documents the city’s historic fabric.
“For me the woodwork is the most fascinating,” she added. “Woodwork, which is not just plain and simple woodwork, but it has iconography in it which reflects the religious inclinations, the political inclinations ... those buildings speak of the history of that city, which was definitely very, very rich.”

A woman watches hair adornments on display at a shop in Shikarpur on March 20, 2025. (AN Photo)

Rajpal Rewachand, a businessman and lawyer in the city, maintained the role of Hindu settlers was pivotal in the city’s development, noting that their arrival along trade paths spurred commercial expansion and the construction of many still-standing heritage structures.
“The city’s development happened when Hindu settlers arrived,” he said while standing within the historic Pooj Udasin Samadha Ashram, a once-thriving religious and community complex.
“Before them, the majority of the residents were either Punjabis or people who had migrated from Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara.”
The city’s signature Dhak Bazaar, a covered market said to be one of the oldest of its kind in South Asia, and landmarks like the Shahi Bagh, Clock Tower and Tara Chand Hospital were once considered marvels of civic infrastructure.
At the height of its economic might, Shikarpur operated both formal and informal financial systems. The informal banking system was so reliable, according to locals, it made traveling with cash unnecessary.
“If someone had to travel to any corner of the world, they wouldn’t carry money with them,” said Nazeer Ahmed Qureshi, a cloth merchant in Dhak Bazaar, adding a stamped note by a local merchant would get him money.

An outside view of Rao Bahadur Udhawas Tarachand Hospital in Shikarpur in a picture taken on March 20, 2025. (AN Photo)

“No matter where in the world one traveled, Shikarpur’s money was recognized,” he added.
But the city that was once surrounded by lush gardens and fruit groves is now clearly in decline.
According to Mehdi Shah, a local researcher and author, Shikarpur went into a downward spiral after the Hindu trading families were uprooted during the 1947 Partition.
“After the Partition of India, the Hindu population migrated, and their architectural legacy was not maintained as it once was,” he said.
As the city’s ownership shifted and wealth drained away, its buildings were left to deteriorate. Those who moved into the once-grand havelis lacked the means to preserve them, accelerating the decline.

A woman walks past an old building with “Central Bank of India” painted on it in Shikarpur, in southern Pakistan on March 20, 2025. (AN Photo)

“The shift in ownership, coupled with the activities of antique dealers, has placed these architectural treasures at increased risk,” Shah added.
The decay is not just physical but institutional. Despite a 1998 notification declaring the entire city a heritage site under the Sindh Cultural Heritage Protection Act — and a 2013 effort to designate 1,203 properties as protected — most of Shikarpur’s historic buildings have been left to deteriorate.

Professor Naeem said that restoration could help revive both the city’s cultural pride and economic fortunes, particularly if Pakistan invests in heritage tourism.
Sitting amid the fading relics in the heart of Dhak Bazaar, cloth merchant Qureshi reflects on the distance between memory and present reality.
“Such a beautiful past— such a grand historical city, a magnificent city with its rich culture, trade, lifestyle,” he said, his voice echoing through the narrow, shop-lined passage. “It feels like a dream, as if stepping into another world.”

Topics: Shikarpur

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