The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) continues to be hot on Pakistan's trail as the global anti-terror watchdog has intensified the call for a more meaningful crackdown on terror groups in the country.

The FATF had cornered Pakistan on 27 points but they could only satisfy the global watchdog in five of those parametres.

The FATF had warned Pakistan that it would be blacklisted if it failed to comply with the remaining 22 points, following which on December 6, Islamabad dispatched a report with its clarifications on the remaining FATF queries.

In response, FATF has doubled down on Pakistan and issued a fresh set of 150 questions.

The queries revolve around Madrassas in Pakistan, a large number of which continue to be operated by so-called charity wings of known terror organisations. For instance, the Jamat-ud-Dawa, led by 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

Reports from Pakistan indicate that the JUD operates close to 300 madrassas in the country. The government's crackdown has been half-hearted as it has only managed to take over about 56 madrassas in the Sindh province.

The FATF has also asked the Pakistan government to provide them with copies of the FIRs filed against terror suspects and wants to observe progress from Pakistan's side.

Islamabad's response can be assessed from the case of Hafiz Saeed, a first attempt at indicting him was a failure because his co-conspirators could not be produced and on December 11, charges were ultimately framed.

What followed is a stop-start trial, marred by a lawyers' strike. Even today, the case was adjourned despite witnesses being produced because the defence consul abstained from showing up due to the strike.

Pakistan's tactics to deal with these queries will influence the discourse at the next FATF plenary in Beijing from January 21 to 24.

Pakistan will be allowed to defend itself at this plenary.

There is a probability that since the February deadline set for compliance with the 22 points has been deemed rather impossible, Pakistan could get a breather until June 2020.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) continues to be hot on Pakistan's trail as the global anti-terror watchdog has intensified the call for a more meaningful crackdown on terror groups in the country.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) continues to be hot on Pakistan's trail as the global anti-terror watchdog has intensified the call for a more meaningful crackdown on terror groups in the country. The FATF had cornered Pakistan on 27 points but they could only satisfy the global watchdog in five of those parametres. The FATF had warned Pakistan that it would be blacklisted if it failed to comply with the remaining 22 points, following which on December 6, Islamabad dispatched a report with its clarifications on the remaining FATF queries. In response, FATF has doubled down on Pakistan and issued a fresh set of 150 questions. The queries revolve around Madrassas in Pakistan, a large number of which continue to be operated by so-called charity wings of known terror organisations. For instance, the Jamat-ud-Dawa, led by 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed. Reports from Pakistan indicate that the JUD operates close to 300 madrassas in the country. The government's crackdown has been half-hearted as it has only managed to take over about 56 madrassas in the Sindh province. The FATF has also asked the Pakistan government to provide them with copies of the FIRs filed against terror suspects and wants to observe progress from Pakistan's side. Islamabad's response can be assessed from the case of Hafiz Saeed, a first attempt at indicting him was a failure because his co-conspirators could not be produced and on December 11, charges were ultimately framed. What followed is a stop-start trial, marred by a lawyers' strike. Even today, the case was adjourned despite witnesses being produced because the defence consul abstained from showing up due to the strike. Pakistan's tactics to deal with these queries will influence the discourse at the next FATF plenary in Beijing from January 21 to 24. Pakistan will be allowed to defend itself at this plenary. There is a probability that since the February deadline set for compliance with the 22 points has been deemed rather impossible, Pakistan could get a breather until June 2020.

FATF calls for stricter actions from Pakistan on crackdown of terror groups

Act against terror groups, UK PM Theresa May tells Imran Khan

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-raises-terror-issue-with-pak-as-harassment-of-indian-diplomats-continues-191828">Terror groups supported by Pakistan </a>will continue to conduct terrorist attacks in both India and Afghanistan, America's spymaster has said.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats also said Pakistan's "narrow approach to counterterrorism cooperation — using some groups as policy tools and confronting only the militant groups that directly threaten Pakistan — almost certainly will frustrate US counterterrorism efforts against the Taliban."

"Militant groups supported by Pakistan will continue to take advantage of their safe haven in Pakistan to plan and conduct attacks in India and Afghanistan, including against US interests," Coats told the members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Coats and heads of other top American intelligence agencies appeared before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on their worldwide threat assessment. Prominent among them included CIA Director Gina Haspel, who has just returned from a trip to India; FBI Director Christopher Wray and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Robert Ashley.

The comment on South Asia is part of US intelligence community's assessment of worldwide threats in 2019 and was presented in the form of a written document to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence by Coats.

Coats said that the challenges facing South Asian states will grow in 2019 because of Afghanistan's presidential election in mid-July and the Taliban's large-scale attacks, Pakistan's recalcitrance in dealing with militant groups, and Indian elections that risk communal violence.

"We assess that neither the Afghan Government nor the Taliban will be able to gain a strategic military advantage in the Afghan war in the coming year if coalition support remains at current levels," he said.

Afghan forces generally have secured cities and other government strongholds, but the Taliban has increased large-scale attacks, and Afghan security suffers from a large number of forces being tied down in defensive missions, mobility shortfalls, and a lack of reliable forces to hold recaptured territory, Coats said.

Terror groups supported by Pakistan will continue to conduct terrorist attacks in both India and Afghanistan, America's spymaster has said. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats also said Pakistan's "narrow approach to counterterrorism cooperation — using some groups as policy tools and confronting only the militant groups that directly threaten Pakistan — almost certainly will frustrate US counterterrorism efforts against the Taliban.

Terror groups supported by Pakistan will continue to conduct terrorist attacks in both India and Afghanistan, America's spymaster has said. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats also said Pakistan's "narrow approach to counterterrorism cooperation — using some groups as policy tools and confronting only the militant groups that directly threaten Pakistan — almost certainly will frustrate US counterterrorism efforts against the Taliban." "Militant groups supported by Pakistan will continue to take advantage of their safe haven in Pakistan to plan and conduct attacks in India and Afghanistan, including against US interests," Coats told the members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Coats and heads of other top American intelligence agencies appeared before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on their worldwide threat assessment. Prominent among them included CIA Director Gina Haspel, who has just returned from a trip to India; FBI Director Christopher Wray and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Robert Ashley. The comment on South Asia is part of US intelligence community's assessment of worldwide threats in 2019 and was presented in the form of a written document to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence by Coats. Coats said that the challenges facing South Asian states will grow in 2019 because of Afghanistan's presidential election in mid-July and the Taliban's large-scale attacks, Pakistan's recalcitrance in dealing with militant groups, and Indian elections that risk communal violence. "We assess that neither the Afghan Government nor the Taliban will be able to gain a strategic military advantage in the Afghan war in the coming year if coalition support remains at current levels," he said. Afghan forces generally have secured cities and other government strongholds, but the Taliban has increased large-scale attacks, and Afghan security suffers from a large number of forces being tied down in defensive missions, mobility shortfalls, and a lack of reliable forces to hold recaptured territory, Coats said.

Pakistan-supported terror groups will continue to attack India: US spy chief

Militancy has "survived and morphed" inside Pakistan because of local facilitation and recruitment networks, a leading newspaper commented on Tuesday, days after a prominent think-tank said the usual "cat-and-mouse game" continued between state authorities and banned outfits in the country in 2018.&nbsp;

There were a total of 262 terrorist attacks in Pakistan last year, including 19 suicide and gun-and-suicide coordinated attacks, killing 595 people, besides injuring 1,030 others, according to Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS).&nbsp;

Though terror attacks posted a 29 per cent decrease from the previous year, the Islamabad-based think-tank said the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, faced the highest number of terrorist attacks compared to all other regions of Pakistan.&nbsp;

A total of 125 reported attacks from the province claimed 196 lives and inflicted injuries on another 376 people.

The recently-released report noted that in 2018, "the usual cat-and-mouse game continued between state authorities and banned outfits."&nbsp;

"One set of administrative measure aimed at banning them was followed by another of unbanning them: Several banned leaders who were barred from travelling out of district, under the fourth schedule category, not only organised street protests but forced the government to remove their names. "Others even tried to contest elections; when stopped, they changed the organisation's names," the report said, referring to the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's Jammat-ud-Dawah (JuD), which launched a political front Milli Muslim League (MML) to contest the July 25 general elections in Pakistan.

The MML contested the elections on the platform of Allaha-u-Akbar Tehreek (AAT), a "dormant" political entity, as the JuD's political outfit, the MML, is yet to be registered as a political party.

"Apparently, Pakistan is struggling to convince the world by projecting its anti-militant actions and ensuing sacrifices," the report said.

The problem is compounded with the absence of any coherent policy of reintegrating and mainstreaming certain groups. As a result, attempts at mainstreaming them are seen as deliberate attempts to excluding those already mainstreamed, it said.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the Dawn newspaper, in an editorial on Tuesday, following the PIPS report, noted that militancy has "survived and morphed inside Pakistan because of local facilitation and recruitment networks."&nbsp;

"On those issues, the Pakistani state has not said much publicly. While counterterrorism operations certainly appear to be continuing, the more wide-ranging National Action Plan is still seemingly of secondary interest to the civil and military leaderships," the editorial said.

The US, India and Afghanistan have repeatedly asked Pakistan to rein-in the terror groups that have been operating from safe havens within the country.

The editorial noted that the gains in the long fight against militancy have been significant and ought to prove durable. Yet, an analysis of terrorism data suggests that the threat of militancy and terrorism is far from over, and, indeed, may be morphing into a new and possibly more prolonged phase of violence.

"Unhappily, the public discourse on terrorism in Pakistan is superficial and polarising," it commented.

The country must never be allowed to return to its darkest years at the turn of the decade. Too much was lost and too many citizens suffered in part because of policy mistakes and miscalculations, the editorial said.

The evolving threat of militancy and terrorism in Pakistan and the region must be carefully analysed, and a response methodically crafted.&nbsp;

"If institutions work together in a true spirit of cooperation, further successes are surely well within reach," the editorial noted.&nbsp;

Militancy has "survived and morphed" inside Pakistan because of local facilitation and recruitment networks, a leading newspaper commented on Tuesday, days after a prominent think-tank said the usual "cat-and-mouse game" continued between state authorities and banned outfits in the country in 2018.

Militancy has "survived and morphed" inside Pakistan because of local facilitation and recruitment networks, a leading newspaper commented on Tuesday, days after a prominent think-tank said the usual "cat-and-mouse game" continued between state authorities and banned outfits in the country in 2018. There were a total of 262 terrorist attacks in Pakistan last year, including 19 suicide and gun-and-suicide coordinated attacks, killing 595 people, besides injuring 1,030 others, according to Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS). Though terror attacks posted a 29 per cent decrease from the previous year, the Islamabad-based think-tank said the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, faced the highest number of terrorist attacks compared to all other regions of Pakistan. A total of 125 reported attacks from the province claimed 196 lives and inflicted injuries on another 376 people. The recently-released report noted that in 2018, "the usual cat-and-mouse game continued between state authorities and banned outfits." "One set of administrative measure aimed at banning them was followed by another of unbanning them: Several banned leaders who were barred from travelling out of district, under the fourth schedule category, not only organised street protests but forced the government to remove their names. "Others even tried to contest elections; when stopped, they changed the organisation's names," the report said, referring to the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's Jammat-ud-Dawah (JuD), which launched a political front Milli Muslim League (MML) to contest the July 25 general elections in Pakistan. The MML contested the elections on the platform of Allaha-u-Akbar Tehreek (AAT), a "dormant" political entity, as the JuD's political outfit, the MML, is yet to be registered as a political party. "Apparently, Pakistan is struggling to convince the world by projecting its anti-militant actions and ensuing sacrifices," the report said. The problem is compounded with the absence of any coherent policy of reintegrating and mainstreaming certain groups. As a result, attempts at mainstreaming them are seen as deliberate attempts to excluding those already mainstreamed, it said. Meanwhile, the Dawn newspaper, in an editorial on Tuesday, following the PIPS report, noted that militancy has "survived and morphed inside Pakistan because of local facilitation and recruitment networks." "On those issues, the Pakistani state has not said much publicly. While counterterrorism operations certainly appear to be continuing, the more wide-ranging National Action Plan is still seemingly of secondary interest to the civil and military leaderships," the editorial said. The US, India and Afghanistan have repeatedly asked Pakistan to rein-in the terror groups that have been operating from safe havens within the country. The editorial noted that the gains in the long fight against militancy have been significant and ought to prove durable. Yet, an analysis of terrorism data suggests that the threat of militancy and terrorism is far from over, and, indeed, may be morphing into a new and possibly more prolonged phase of violence. "Unhappily, the public discourse on terrorism in Pakistan is superficial and polarising," it commented. The country must never be allowed to return to its darkest years at the turn of the decade. Too much was lost and too many citizens suffered in part because of policy mistakes and miscalculations, the editorial said. The evolving threat of militancy and terrorism in Pakistan and the region must be carefully analysed, and a response methodically crafted. "If institutions work together in a true spirit of cooperation, further successes are surely well within reach," the editorial noted.

'Terror groups thrive in Pakistan due to local facilitation and recruitment networks'

The United States once again urged Pakistan to combat and delegitimise all terrorist groups operating on its soil on Friday. In a daily briefing, the US state department spokesman Mark Toner called on Pakistan to do more to crack down on extremism.&nbsp;

&quot;Obviously Pakistan has suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists and violent extremists. We want to help Pakistan confront this terrorist threat,&quot; he said in response to a question.&nbsp;

Evading the question about Washington&#39;s position on China&#39;s veto against the United Nations resolution on designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a terrorist, Toner said thousands of innocent people have been killed in the name of terrorism and we want Pakistan to go after those terrorists who seek and sometimes find safe haven on Pakistan territory.

China was the sole member to support&nbsp;Pakistan in the 15-nation United Nations Security Council, extending its&nbsp;&ldquo;technical hold&rdquo; on India&rsquo;s efforts for a UN ban against Masood Azhar.

On Friday, the United States had branded Jamaat-ul-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed as an avowed terrorist, asserting that both him and the Lashkar-e-Toiba are designated by the Barack Obama-led Government and have the blood of several innocents on their hands.

(WION) 
&nbsp;

Putting pressure on Islamabad to crack down against extremism, the US asked Pakistan to delegitimse all terror groups operating on its soil

The United States once again urged Pakistan to combat and delegitimise all terrorist groups operating on its soil on Friday. In a daily briefing, the US state department spokesman Mark Toner called on Pakistan to do more to crack down on extremism. "Obviously Pakistan has suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists and violent extremists. We want to help Pakistan confront this terrorist threat," he said in response to a question. Evading the question about Washington's position on China's veto against the United Nations resolution on designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a terrorist, Toner said thousands of innocent people have been killed in the name of terrorism and we want Pakistan to go after those terrorists who seek and sometimes find safe haven on Pakistan territory. China was the sole member to support Pakistan in the 15-nation United Nations Security Council, extending its “technical hold” on India’s efforts for a UN ban against Masood Azhar. On Friday, the United States had branded Jamaat-ul-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed as an avowed terrorist, asserting that both him and the Lashkar-e-Toiba are designated by the Barack Obama-led Government and have the blood of several innocents on their hands. (WION)

US tells Pakistan to delegitimise all terrorist groups