ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CU)_The recent United Nations monitoring report which highlighted the presence of various terrorist groups in Afghanistan vindicated Pakistan’s longstanding stance, the Foreign Office in Islamabad said.
According to a statement issued by the Department, Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said that the 27th Report of the UN Analytical and Monitoring Team vindicates Pakistan’s longstanding position regarding the threats posed to the country, as well as to the region, by terror groups such as the TTP, Jamaatul-Ahrar (JuA), Hizb-ul-Ahrar (HuA) and their affiliates, based in Afghanistan.
The Report revealed that the reunion of the terror groups, which was moderated by al Qaeda, is expected to increase the threat to Pakistan, Afghanistan and the region. It also said that five entities, namely, the Shehryar Mehsud group, the Amjad Farooqi group, the Usman Saifullah group, the JuA and the HuA, pledged alliance to the TTP in July and August last year.
It is also noteworthy that in its report, the United Nations acknowledged the efforts of the Pakistani government against individuals engaged in terrorist activities, including the freezing of assets of designated individuals and entities.
Pakistani diplomats note that the UN acknowledgement of Islamabad’s actions comes amidst India’s continuous criticism and allegations that Pakistan has been inactive against the designated terror groups in the region.
Meanwhile, despite strong lobbying by India, Pakistani officials hope that their country would be removed from the “grey list” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), at the meeting which has been scheduled for later this month. At the four-day virtual meeting, the Paris-based global money-laundering watchdog is expected to determine if Pakistan should be removed from the list, based on the country’s financial system and security mechanisms against risks of terrorist financing and money laundering.
A Pakistani representative in the FATF said the issue is not that South Asian nation is not attempting to remove itself from the list, instead, the issue lies within the strong lobbying against the country carried out by India.
