Pak takes U-turn on terror again: Despite claiming JuD, FiF is ‘banned’, keeps them ‘Under Watch’ list

Mar 4 (AZINS) Pakistan's flip flop on terror continues even as an updated list of the terror organisation in the country doesn't name of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed's Jamaat ud Dawa(JuD) & Falah-e-Insaniat(FiF) as banned.

The list issued by Pakistan's interior ministry's NACTA or the national counter-terrorism authority of Pakistan on 4th March includes JuD and FiF under the organisation under watch.

This is important since on 21st February Pakistan in a release had said that JuD and FiF will be notified as a proscribed or banned organisation.

The banning was decided after the National security committee meeting was held under the chairmanship of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. The Pakistani interior ministry spokesperson said, "it was decided during the meeting to accelerate action against proscribed organisation".

The announcement of the ban came during the Financial Action Task Force or FATF meet in Paris from 17th to 22nd February where Pakistan was under much pressure to act on terror. 

FATF in its release after the week-long meet had slammed Islamabad saying that the country has not demonstrated a "proper understanding" of the Terror Financing risks posed by Da’esh, AQ, JuD, FiF, LeT, JeM, HQN, and persons affiliated with the Taliban.

Pakistan was greylisted is 2018 which means the country comes under financial jurisdiction with “structural deficiencies” in anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) or to put it simply-- supports financing of terror.

Speaking to WION on Pakistan's commitment to acting on terror financing, FATF president Marshall Billingslea said, "we will hold them to it and we expect time table to be met and action plan to be fully implemented in line with FATF standards"

In the aftermath of Pulwama terror attack on 14th February that killed more than 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan has been called out by US, France, UK, Australia, Japan, EU, Germany to act on the issue of terror.