The foreign officer spokesperson, Asim Iftikhar, said that in the context of FATF, Pakistan has faithfully complied with and completed all technical requirements and hope that the outcome would be in the positive direction.
Islamabad, Feb 19 (AsiaFreePress): Pakistan on Friday said the government was taking all necessary steps for dealing with the terrorist threat from across the border and its sponsors, specifically India.
“There is a track record of terrorists getting support from abroad and we are fully aware of that and we will take all necessary steps to bring this cross-border terrorism to a stop,” Foreign Office spokesperson, Asim Iftikhar said.
The spokesman said Islamabad was engaged with the Taliban government on this issue.
Commenting on the visit of Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi earlier this week, he said: “It was part of the ongoing very constructive and fruitful dialogue and engagement of Pakistan with Iran.” He described Iran as “a close friend and partner”.
With reference to the 15th anniversary of the Samjhauta Express train blast, the spokesman renewed the call for justice for the victims and asked India to shun terrorism as an instrument of state policy.
Sixty-eight passengers, including 44 Pakistan nationals, were killed in the attack.
Indian courts had, after a questionable process, acquitted the accused, including Swami Aseemanand, who had publicly confessed to being the mastermind of the attack.
“India’s continuing failure to provide justice to the victims of this horrendous terror attack is a reconfirmation of the culture of impunity that the perpetrators of terrorist attacks enjoy in India,” the spokesman said, adding that the victims’ families were awaiting justice.
“The reality of today’s India is awash with injustice, inequality, and unabashed rampant state-sponsored terrorism,” he further said.
India’s charge d’affaires was summoned to the Foreign Office to convey Pakistan’s protest over India’s failure to punish the terrorists behind the attack.
Iftikhar said the Indian diplomat was told Pakistan was alarmed that the Hindutva extremism and ‘saffron terror’ that had motivated the inhuman attack 15 years ago, has intensified manifold under the current dispensation in India.
“The government of India is advised to put an end to state patronage of terrorism and bring to trial the terrorists behind the Samjhauta Express blasts. Pakistan also calls upon India to renounce the use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy, and faithfully comply with its obligations under international legal regime governing terrorism.”
Speaking about the plenary of FATF, he said that only political considerations can put the country on the grey list of Financial Action Task Force while asserting it had fully complied with the conditions laid down by FATF for exiting its ‘grey list’.
The foreign officer spokesperson, Asim Iftikhar, said that in the context of FATF, Pakistan has faithfully complied with and completed all technical requirements and hope that the outcome would be in the positive direction.
He, however, cautioned there are issues of politicisation by some countries, and that remains a problem and that Pakistan as a responsible country does not publicly comment on FATF’s processes
The FATF’s working group and plenary meetings will be held in Paris from Feb 21 to March 4. During the plenary session, the watchdog reviews the progress made by the countries on its grey and black lists and accordingly updates them.
The upcoming FATF plenary would take its decision based on the latest report submitted by its regional affiliate — the Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering — on Feb 1.
After the plenary held in October, Marcus Pleyer, the watchdog’s president, had emphasised upon Pakistan to continue to demonstrate that terrorism financing investigations and prosecutions target senior leaders and commanders of UN-designated terrorist groups. Moreover, he had asked Islamabad to strengthen its anti-money laundering regime as “serious deficiencies” had been noted.
