Pakistan continues to provide safe havens to terror entities, UN-designated terrorists: India

As global anti-terror watchdog FATF reviews Pakistan's performance in curbing terror-financing, India on Thursday said the neighbouring country continues to provide safe havens to terror entities as well as UN-designated terrorists including Masood Azhar and Zakir-ur-Rahman Lakhvi.

At a media briefing, Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Anurag Srivastava said Pakistan has addressed only 21 out of 27 "action items" prescribed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to contain terror financing.

The FATF began its three-day virtual plenary meeting on Wednesday in which it is reviewing Pakistan's performance in implementation of the action plan recommended by it to choke channels of funding to the terror groups operating from the country.

Asked about the possibility of the FATF blacklisting Pakistan for failing to check terror financing, Srivastava said the global anti-terror watchdog has laid out standards and procedures for such action.

"It is understood that Pakistan has addressed only 21 action items so far out of the total 27 points in the FATF action plan. Six important action items are yet to be addressed," he said.

"As is well known, Pakistan continues to provide safe havens to terrorist entities and individuals and has also not yet taken any action against several terrorist entities and individuals including those proscribed by the UNSC such as Masood Azhar, Dawood Ibrahim, Zakir-ur-Rahman Lakhvi etc," Srivastava added.

The FATF had put Pakistan on its "grey list" in 2018 for failing to contain terror financing in the country. The global body has been periodically reviewing the implementation of the action plan it had recommended to Pakistan to curb financial activities of terror groups.

Notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic in the region, Pakistan has been resorting to unprovoked ceasefire violations along the LoC and making concerted efforts to push militants into Kashmir.

Pakistani hostilities increased after India announced its decision to withdraw the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and divide the state into two union territories in August last year.

The story has been taken from a news agency