The protesters said that thousands of Baloch are abducted and illegally held in the Pakistani military’s torture cells without any crime…reports Asian Lite News.
Free Balochistan Movement (FBM) UK Branch on Saturday held a protest in front of the British Parliament against Pakistani atrocities.
The demonstration was held on June 26 to commemorate the “International Day in Support of Torture Victims”.
Baloch activists and FBM members from the UK took part in the protest and highlighted Pakistan’s ongoing human rights violations against Baloch.
They shouted slogans like, “Stop funding Pakistan”, Freedom for Balochistan”, “We want Freedom”, “Terror state Pakistan”, “Stop supporting Pakistan”, and “Baloch want Freedom.”
The protesters said that thousands of Baloch are abducted and illegally held in the Pakistani military’s torture cells without any crime.
“The abducted persons are subject to inhuman and brutal torture by state forces. They are kept in appalling conditions for years and not allowed to see the sun even. The illegally detained persons are neither provided with any legal representatives nor allowed to have contact with their families. The loved ones of disappeared Baloch suffer even more than the disappeared persons because they don’t know anything about their relatives’ condition and well-being.”
Such degrading and appalling treatment of the disappeared persons come under crimes against humanity as per United Nations conventions and international laws.
Free Balochistan Movement activists have requested the civilised world and western democracies to help stop the ongoing genocide of Baloch people by Pakistan.
They also urged the international media to play their role to report the Pakistani state brutalities against Baloch people and the illegal occupation of Balochistan. (ANI)
Pak PM under fire for 'Women wearing very few clothes' remark
It’s the second time in recent months that Khan has come under fire for his comments about rape….reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan is facing protests and calls for a public apology after suggesting that there would be fewer sexual assaults if women dressed more modestly, Washington Post reported.
In an interview with Axios earlier this week, Imran Khan was asked about whether there was a “rape epidemic” in Pakistan, where advocates believe that a large number of assaults go unreported.
“If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the man unless they are robots. I mean, it’s a common sense,” he said.
Women in Pakistan responded by sharing photographs of the “modest” clothing that they were wearing when they were sexually harassed, as well as anecdotes about inappropriate behaviour they have encountered – such as unwanted touching – even when conservatively dressed in traditional headscarves and shalwar kameez, the report said.
Pak PM under fire for ‘Women wearing very few clothes’ remark
At a protest on Saturday in Karachi, women were encouraged to bring a piece of clothing that they or an acquaintance had been wearing when they were subjected to sexual violence.
“This is dangerously simplistic and only reinforces the common public perception that women are ‘knowing’ victims and men ‘helpless’ aggressors,” the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and more than a dozen other civil society groups said.
“For the the head of government – a government that claims to defend the rights of women and vulnerable groups – to insist on this view is simply inexcusable.”
The report said it’s the second time in recent months that Khan – who was one of Pakistan’s top cricket players and a national celebrity before he entered politics – has come under fire for his comments about rape. During a live television broadcast in April, he replied to a question about a perceived rise in sexual assaults by saying that the traditional custom of “purdah,” or modesty, was intended to “stop temptation.”
“Not every man has willpower. If you keep on increasing vulgarity, it will have consequences,” Khan said.
Pak PM under fire for ‘Women wearing very few clothes’ remark
Khan’s latest remarks have led some men in Pakistan to proudly declare themselves to be robots, a joking reference to the Prime Minister’s claim that seeing a woman who is not modestly dressed “will have an impact on the man unless they are robots.”
The report said Sherry Rehman, a senator from the opposition Pakistan People’s Party, questioned whether Khan meant to apply the term to “all the men who are civilized in their behavior and interactions with women.”
She added sarcastically that she didn’t realize Pakistan “had such a large AI population.”
News Pakistan reported that a large number of women rights and civil society activists took part in a protest in Karachi on Saturday to criticise Prime Minister Imran Khan’s remarks about the way women dress up and its impact on men, and urged him to offer a public apology for his remarks.
Pak PM under fire for ‘Women wearing very few clothes’ remark
The HRCP and other civil society bodies and feminist collectives organised the protest outside the Karachi Press Club.
The participating organisations included the Joint Action Committee, Women’s Action Forum, Sindh Commission on the Status of Women, Tehrik-e-Niswan, Aurat March, Aurat Foundation, and Women Democratic Front.
As per the report, calling the premier’s comments “factually incorrect, insensitive and dangerous”, speakers at the protest said that it only reinforced the common public perception that women were “knowing” victims and men “helpless’ aggressors”.
“Imran Khan has disgraced not only the millions of women but also the high human ideals and values, which are even upheld by the international charter of human rights,” said a speaker.
Participants also showed their anger at several women members of the ruling party who had jumped to the Prime Minister’s defence and justified his comments in “vague and illogical terms”.
They appealed to the women legislators in the Senate and the national and provincial assemblies to pass a resolution against the Prime Minister, irrespective of their political affiliations, the report said.
They demanded an immediate public apology from the prime minister and assurances that “his highly flawed perception of how and why rape occurs does not inform the government’s attempts to tackle what is a serious and prevalent crime in Pakistan”.
One aspect that comes to mind that might thus far has been ignored by the FATF team is perhaps Pakistan terror financing operations involving their foreign missions….reports Amjad Ayub Mirza
A decision to maintain Pakistans status in the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force {ISI} was taken on June 25 in Paris. A dissatisfied panel comprising China, among other things questioned why there is a seemingly unnecessary delay in the court proceedings of the 1373 UN designated terrorists imprisoned in the country. Pakistan was told to do more with regards to tracking and cracking down money laundering which they believe is a means to supply dosh for carrying out acts of terror.
One aspect that comes to mind that might thus far has been ignored by the FATF team is perhaps Pakistan terror financing operations involving their foreign missions. It would be interesting to note that recent news articles published in international print media manifest Pakistani Diplomats not only of indulging in antisocial and but even criminal behaviour and acts that are of terrorist nature.
Is it not true that individuals chosen to serve their countries in alien lands are carefully selected and trained? As a matter of fact, two Pakistani diplomats were recently caught stealing a hat worth $10.70 and chocolate worth $1.7 in Yongsan, South Korea, this April.
One might give them the benefit of doubt and call it a one off incident.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan
However, during recent years’ irrefutable evidence has been mounting regarding the criminal behaviour of Pakistani diplomatic community which is of a worrying nature. An incident took place in Bangladesh and resulted in the expulsion of Farina Arshad, Second Secretary (Political) working at the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka. She was accused of facilitating terror financing in 2015.2
Amir Zubair Siddiqui, a visa counsellor at the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo had been put on the terror watch list by the Indian National Investigation Agency for indulging in espionage and terror activities, and then came the arrest and deportation of two employees of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi in 2020 who were accused of espionage.
An isolated incident may reflect an individual act, but regular and repeated offences tell a different story about Pakistani diplomats.
It is common knowledge that Pakistan’s foreign policy is controlled by the army at GHQ in Rawalpindi. The Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) personnel are routinely deputed to Pakistani missions abroad. They have been caught red-handed on several occasions while pursuing terrorism-related and activities.
Logo of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence organization(wikipedia)
For instance, in 2001, Mohammad Arshad Cheema, First Secretary at the Pakistani high commission in Kathmandu, was arrested for possessing 16 kg of RDX.5 Few years back in 2014 Pakistani Defense Attache (and ISI representative) in Colombo, Colonel Shahryar Butt, was repatriated because he kept on ‘checking’ into the High Commission’s affairs.
The key to understanding the above phenomena lies in recognizing that ISI cells are present in almost all Pakistani Embassies. Perhaps, Pakistan has different standards for when it comes to diplomatic responsibilities. No wonder during the period between May 2018-19 the US had restricted the movement of Pakistani diplomats to a few square miles within Washington.
However, even more alarming is a spate of morally shameful acts that Pakistani diplomats have indulged into in the recent past. Allegations such as domestic abuse conducted against his spouse by Munir Akram, Pakistan’s current Permanent Representative to UN; arrest of Mazhar Khan, the Assistant Visa Officer at the Pakistani High Commission in Dhaka accused of dealing in fake currencies in 2015, abduction and rape charges brought against two Pakistani diplomats in the UK in 20146 and Waqas Ahmed, a Pakistani diplomat in Harare was arrested and imprisoned for human trafficking in May 2020.
These were crimes of such serious nature that Islamabad was forced to voluntarily surrendered their diplomatic immunity.
The murder of Baloch journalist Sajid Baloch in Sweden and that of human rights activist Karima Baloch are also attributed to the clandestine network of Pakistani ISI cells working from Pakistani missions abroad. In any future meeting of the FATF it would be wise to look into Pakistan’s involvement in global terrorism and to curb acts of terrorism that have made our world a less safe place.
(Amjad Ayub Mirza is an author and a human rights activist from Mirpur in PoJK. He currently lives in exile in the UK)
Pakistan was retained on the grey list, or list of countries under “increased monitoring”, as the Paris-based UN watchdog judged it deficient in prosecuting the top leadership of UN Security Council-designated terror groups, reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan has been hit with massive losses to its GDP worth $38 billion because of the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) decision to retain the country on its grey list since 2008, according to a research paper published by the Islamabad-based independent think-tank, Tabadlab.
The paper titled, “Bearing the cost of global politics — the impact of FATF grey-listing on Pakistan’s economy”, has been authored by Naafey Sardar.
This comes against the backdrop of a fresh grey listing tag for Pakistan.
Pakistan was retained on the grey list, or list of countries under “increased monitoring”, as the Paris-based UN watchdog judged it deficient in prosecuting the top leadership of UN Security Council-designated terror groups.
The list includes Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e Mohammad, Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
As per the paper, results suggest that FATF grey-listing, starting in 2008 and till 2019, may have resulted in cumulative real GDP losses of approximately $38 billion.
Moreover, estimates indicate that a large proportion of this response (58 per cent) was driven by reduction in consumption expenditures (both household and government).
Exports and inward foreign direct investment are also partially responsible for this decline in GDP, with associated cumulative losses of $4.5 billion and $3.6 billion respectively. These results point to the significant negative consequences associated with FATF grey-listing.
The estimates from this paper point to the significant negative implications of FATF’s grey listing for Pakistan, thus emphasising the need for policymakers to comply with the FATF on the adoption of AML/CFT legislation to avoid future economic losses, it argued.
With the FATF’s latest action, Pakistan, even after elargely completing’ 26 of the 27 targets, will remain in the grey list for at least another year and deliver on seven new parallel action points to address deficiencies in its Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regime, The Dawn said in a report.
The watchdog said in a statement that since June 2018, when Pakistan made a high-level political commitment to work with the FATF and APG to strengthen its AML/CFT regime and to address its strategic counter terrorist financing-related deficiencies, the country’s continued political commitment has led to significant progress across a comprehensive CFT action plan.
The FATF recognises Pakistan’s progress and efforts to address these CFT action plan items and notes that since February 2021, Islamabad has made progress to complete two of the three remaining action items on demonstrating that effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions are imposed for TF convictions and that the country’s targeted financial sanctions regime was being used effectively to targeted terrorist assets.
Pakistan has now completed 26 of the 27 action items in its 2018 action plan.
“The FATF encourages Pakistan to continue to make progress to address as soon as possible the one remaining CFT-related item by demonstrating that TF investigations and prosecutions target senior leaders and commanders of UN designated terrorist groups.”
FATF said Pakistan should continue to work to address its strategically important AML/CFT deficiencies, namely by: (1) enhancing international cooperation by amending the MLA law; (2) demonstrating that assistance is being sought from foreign countries in implementing UNSCR 1373 designations; (3) demonstrating that supervisors are conducting both on-site and off-site supervision commensurate with specific risks associated with DNFBPs, including applying appropriate sanctions where necessary; (4) demonstrating that proportionate and dissuasive sanctions are applied consistently to all legal persons and legal arrangements for non-compliance with beneficial ownership requirements; (5) demonstrating an increase in ML investigations and prosecutions and that proceeds of crime continue to be restrained and confiscated in line with Pakistan’s risk profile, including working with foreign counterparts to trace, freeze, and confiscate assets; and (6) demonstrating that DNFBPs are being monitored for compliance with proliferation financing requirements and that sanctions are being imposed for non-compliance.
Jurisdictions under increased monitoring are actively working with the FATF to address strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing.
When the FATF places a jurisdiction under increased monitoring, it means the country has committed to resolve swiftly the identified strategic deficiencies within agreed timeframes and is subject to increased monitoring.
This is often externally referred to as the “grey list”.
The FATF and FATF-style regional bodies (FSRBs) continue to work with the jurisdictions below as they report on the progress achieved in addressing their strategic deficiencies. The watchdog calls on these jurisdictions to complete their action plans expeditiously and within the agreed timeframes.
The FATF welcomes their commitment and will closely monitor their progress.
It does not call for the application of enhanced due diligence measures to be applied to these jurisdictions, but encourages its members and all jurisdictions to take into account the information presented below in their risk analysis.
The FATF identifies additional jurisdictions, on an on-going basis, that have strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing.
A number of jurisdictions have not yet been reviewed by the FATF or their FSRBs, but will be in due course.
In October 2020, the FATF decided to recommence work, paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and to identify new countries with strategic AML/CFT deficiencies and prioritise the review of listed countries with expired or expiring deadlines of action plan items.
Albania, Barbados, Botswana, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Ghana, Jamaica, Mauritius, Morocco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Uganda, and Zimbabwe have had their progress reviewed by the FATF since February 2021.
Following review, the FATF now also identifies Haiti, Malta, Philippines, and South Sudan.
FATF president said the multilateral watchdog’s members could consider removing Pakistan from the grey list only after conducting two separate on-site inspections following the completion of the old and new action plans, reports Asian Lite News
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has refused to take Pakistan out of the ‘Grey List’ yet again. On Friday, it said Pakistan had failed to take appropriate action against UN-designated terrorists such as 26/11 accused Hafiz Saeed and JeM chief Masood Azhar.
Although the global anti-money laundering and terror financing body has acknowledged some progress made by Pakistan, it said the country should continue to work to address its strategically-important deficiencies.
FATF president Marcus Pleyer said the decision was taken at the conclusion of the virtual plenary of the Paris-based organisation. Pakistan continues to remain on “increased monitoring list”, Pleyer said at a virtual press conference. “Increased monitoring list” is the another name for the Grey List.
Pleyer said Pakistan has now completed 26 of the 27 action items given to it in 2018. The FATF has asked Pakistan to take action against UN designated terrorists, he said.
The UN designated terrorists based in Pakistan include Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Azhar, Lashker-e-Taiba founder Saeed and its “operational commander” Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. All three are most wanted terrorists in India for their involvement in numerous terrorist acts.
On June 4, in a follow-up report published on Pakistan, the FATF had said, “Overall, Pakistan has made notable progress in addressing the technical compliance deficiencies identified in its MER and has been re-rated on 22 Recommendations.”
Pleyer said the Pakistan government has failed to check risk of money laundering, leading to corruption and terror financing.
“The FATF encourages Pakistan to continue to make progress to address as soon as possible the one remaining Combating the Financing of Terrorism-related item by demonstrating that Terror Financing investigations and prosecutions target senior leaders and commanders of UN designated terrorist groups,” an FATF statement said.
FATF president Pleyer said the multilateral watchdog’s members could consider removing Pakistan from the grey list only after conducting two separate on-site inspections following the completion of the old and new action plans. The inspections would have to demonstrate that improvements made by Pakistan are sustainable, he told a virtual news briefing.
An outcome statement issued at the end of the meeting referred to the remaining item in the old action plan and said: “The FATF encourages Pakistan to continue to make progress to address as soon as possible the one remaining CFT (counterterrorist financing)-related item by demonstrating that TF (terrorist financing) investigations and prosecutions target senior leaders and commanders of UN-designated terrorist groups.”
So far, Pakistani authorities have only prosecuted senior leaders of LeT and JuD, including Saeed and several of his senior aides. Saeed and some of his aides are currently serving sentences given to them after they were found guilty in a string of terror financing cases last year.
However, no action has been taken against leaders of JeM, such as its chief Masood Azhar, despite the group being linked to several high-profile terror attacks in recent years, or the Afghan Taliban, which has stepped up fund raising on Pakistani soil in recent weeks against the backdrop of the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan.
Pleyer said the new action plan to tackle money laundering was drawn up after FATF’s regional partner, the Asia Pacific Group, identified a “number of serious issues” during an assessment in 2019. The outcome statement said Pakistan had committed itself to the new action plan this month to address “strategic deficiencies”.
The new action plan includes six items, including enhancing international cooperation by amending Pakistan’s mutual legal assistance law, and seeking help from foreign countries to implement counterterror designations under UN Security Council Resolution 1373.
Time to call Pakistan’s bluff
However, despite warnings, Pakistan’s machinations to hoodwink the international community remain the same. In 2018, when it was put in the ‘Grey List’ Islamabad had obliged to fulfill a 27-point action plan. But it has played within legal loopholes to provide a cosmetic pretence of action. Instead of taking action against terror groups, Pakistan has rebranded terror groups in Kashmir under the name of The Resistance Front (TRF).
This newly-formed group, according to security experts, is just old wine in a new bottle. Experts believe that TRF is only a new name given to Lashkar-e-Toiba, Hizbul Mujahideen, and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), who are active in the Valley.
Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Plenary meeting in Paris. (Photo: Twitter/@FATFNews)
But the recent verdict to acquit Omar Sheikh the prime accused in Daniel Pearl’s murder has again exposed Pakistan’s game plan. Soon after the verdict was given, Sheikh and four of his associates were shifted to a newly-built government facility, with family access from 9 AM to 5 PM.
Another interesting fact is the pruning of a list of 7,600 individuals Pakistan had vowed to take action against terror financing to FATF in September 2018. However, by January 2019, 4,000 names from that list, which were booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act, went missing.
Aware of the big picture, Bajwa is also making extra efforts to convince the Afghan Taliban that Pakistan’s cooperation with the US is part of an effort to help American forces to leave the region-an argument that syncs well with the free-spirited Afghans, reports Gopal Misra
Pakistan appears to be returning to its default position — of establishing “close and intimate” ties with its estranged ally, the United States. The fruits of a rekindled romance are already dangling before its eyes; a financial bonanza for the Generals in Rawalpindi, plus state-of-the art military hardware, worth $ 20 billion-macho toys that always excite the uniformed. A sizzling second honeymoon with the Americans appears irresistible.
Pakistan’s army chief, Qamar Javed Bajwa deserves all the credit for making the early courtship moves with the US. It is still not clear whether the fresh outreach, when the colourless Chinese were pouring over projects in Balochistan under the flag of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), took place in consultation with the Rambo Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Perhaps not. And there is a precedent. After all, the “ekla chalo” Bajwa had surprised the civilian government by going ahead with an effective ceasefire along the Line of Control in Jammu-Kashmir as well as the International Border.
He also managed to successfully convince the Joe Biden administration about his country’s intentions for “peace’ with India. He visited Saudi Arabia to renew a previously warm relationship, which had been messed up by the garrulous and intemperate foreign minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi.
It is believed that Bajwa, in some ways had picked up a pro-west strategy from his mercurial but charismatic predecessor Parvez Musharraf. That brings into question whether there has been a grand bargain with the Americans. Despite starting to depart from Afghanistan from May 1, the American want to keep their foot in the door in the badlands of AfPak. There are reports that the Americans are looking for a base in Jacobabad.
Compulsively economical with the truth, the civilian government in Pakistan says they never even heard of any such proposal. Yet it is mass public knowledge that US aircraft have been using the Pakistani bases for refuelling and other purposes.
Aware of the big picture, Bajwa is also making extra efforts to convince the Afghan Taliban that Pakistan’s cooperation with the US is part of an effort to help American forces to leave the region-an argument that syncs well with the free-spirited Afghans.
Given his western orientation, how does Bajwa deal with the Chinese who are now heading full throttle in a Cold War with the Americans? At this time, Bajwa’s relations with the Chinese are not that hot. In fact, China has already communicated its “unhappiness'” through various diplomatic channels. The Chinese reaction to the renewal of US-Pakistani strategic relations has all the markers of a “jilted lover”, who was readying for a prolonged honeymoon, but found itself suddenly abandoned in the bone dry and unforgiving mountains in Baluchistan.
The recent statement by Imran Khan on the CPEC praising Beijing are considered a belated attempt to assuage the feelings of the high browed leaders occupying the Middle Kingdom.
To enable Bajwa’s turnaround towards Washington, back-room diplomacy marshalled by the US special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has played a key part. Khalilzad recently told lawmakers at Capitol Hill that, “It is too pessimistic to predict that the Kabul government or Afghan military will be quickly overrun by the Taliban once US and coalition forces withdraw.”
Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Defence Department officials have acknowledged that thousands of vehicles, weapons and other military items from Afghanistan will be in danger of being seized by the Taliban. The equipment may now be shifted to Pakistan, but remain under the American supervision-a decision that would not have been possible without Bajwa’s consent. Brig.Gen. Matthew Trollinger, Deputy Director of politico-military affairs for the Joint Staff, told the Senate lawmakers during a recent hearing on Afghanistan that, “We will be transferring facilities, some vehicles and other equipment that the Afghan national defence forces can utilize in their on-going efforts to secure the country.” He further stated: “We will be retrograding equipment that we’re able to bring back to bases and stations in the continental United States as well as elsewhere.”
The officials from US Central Command have said that the military drawdown between 13 per cent and 20 per cent from Afghanistan has already been completed. Much more will happen in the days and months ahead.
(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
At the FATF headquarter in Paris where a crucial meeting is going on, Pakistan’s balance sheetof measures taken to curb money laundering and terror financing is being drawn up…reports Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha
When it comes to Pakistan and its etched-in-stone terror links, there is no black -and- white. Islamabad, instead seems “content” with a position in the “grey” list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Of course, it shuns the watchdogs “Black”, lest it is lined up in the rogue gallery, shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of North Korea and Iran.
At the FATF headquarter in Paris where a crucial meeting is going on, Pakistan’s balance sheet– of measures taken to curb money laundering and terror financing is being drawn up.
After a threadbare stock taking on the steps taken and not taken by Islamabad to stop money laundering and terror financing, the feared terror-monitor will take a decision on whether to keep Pakistan on its grey list, or move it in the direction of the black list. There is also an impossible third option–declare that Pakistan has finally come clean, and include it in the white list as a badge of honour.
Meanwhile, the German media DW Urdu, quoting its sources, is reporting that even this time, Pakistan will not be liberated from the shameful grey list.
Quoting its sources in Paris, the channel says that European countries, especially the host country France, would recommend keeping Pakistan on the grey list and that position would be adopted by all other European countries.
Even Pakistan has an apprehension about its grey fate. This was evident in the statement made on Wednesday by its garrulous foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, fresh out a grilling by the Afghan television station, Tolo News, where he ably demonstrated that he suffers from the foot-in-the-mouth disease.
“There is no longer any justification to keep Pakistan on the grey list as the country has fulfilled 26 out of 27 action items of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF),” the minister said two days after FATF’s five-day virtual meeting began in Paris.
While FATF will make its findings public on June 25, Qureshi once again has started blaming India, “India is making attempts to misuse the forum for political purposes, as it has indulged in continuous anti-Pakistan propaganda. Pakistan has taken concrete steps to curb money-laundering and terrorist financing.” Obviously, the learned assemblage in Paris would not be impressed by Qureshi’s chronic scapegoating of India.
Pakistan has been in the grey list since 2018. That year, in February, FATF decided to lodge it in the infamous roster, giving it four more months � up to June 20, 2021 � to complete its full action plan.
Pakistan has been trying to convince the world that the main leadership of the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, al-Qaida, and so-called Islamic State global terrorist groups is based in Afghanistan with sufficient funds available to them.
Pakistan’s Imran Khan government also “tried” to show the world that it has taken action and banned UN designated terror organisations like Lashkar e Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e Mohammad (JEM) through tough ordinances. Islamabad’s bury-its-head in sand argument claims LeT is defunct and terror financing cases have been registered against most of the identified leaders of Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat foundations, and LeT chief Hafiz Saeed, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, has been sentenced and jailed for 10 years. Another terrorist leader, JeM’s chief Masood Azhar has a serious medical condition and is bed-ridden in Bahawalpur.
But the world knows that all those terror leaders are roaming freely in Pakistan. Pakistani soldiers are fighting along with Taliban and Islamic State against the Afghan government. Terrorists of LeT and JeM are quite active in Jammu and Kashmir.
Qureshi meanwhile has gone into yet another paroxysm of skewed reasoning. He points out that Pakistan “inherited” the problem of the FATF grey-listing from the previous regime, and the incumbent government has done its best to bring the country out of it.
Pakistani based analysts say that for Pakistani government, only the black list matters. Imran Khan knows the US and its allies won’t like to put Pakistan in the black list for their own reasons. As far as Pakistan is concerned, when in the last meeting, FATF extended Pakistan’s grey listing till June 2021, Qureshi, the verbal gymnast celebrated the decision, saying that India had failed to push Pakistan into FATF’s black list!! Qureshi, living a full life in his “mungerilal ke haseen sapne” bubble believes that it is difficult to keep a country like Pakistan on the grey list forever. Pakistan would get off after a decent interval and a spate of superficial measures. Keep dreaming janab and watch the world pass by.
(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
This comes after the federal government, in the recently passed Federal Budget 2020-21, proposed to abolish one per cent rebate on annual sales of flour mills…reports Asian Lite News
The Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) has announced that all flour mills of the country have stopped supply of the commodity from Wednesday and will close operation from June 30 in protest against the proposed increase in three taxes related to the flour milling industry. The move is likely to exacerbate a flour crisis in the country.
“We will stop supplying flour from tomorrow and will stop operation from June 30. We have to resort to this protest due to unconcerned attitude of the government,” said PFMA Sindh Zone Chairman Chaudhry Muhammad Yousuf on Tuesday, reported The Express Tribune.
This comes after the federal government, in the recently passed Federal Budget 2020-21, proposed to abolish one per cent rebate on annual sales of flour mills; increase the sales tax on bran by 10 per cent and the sales tax on import of machinery used for making flour by 7 per cent.
The increase in turnover tax is expected to increase the price of a 20 kg bag by Rs 30 while the increase in sales tax on bran is expected to increase the price of each 20 kg bag of flour by Rs 67. The implementation of the taxes is likely to increase the price of a 20 kg bag of flour by Rs 97.
In a letter to Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin, PFMA Chairman Asim Raza last week described the tax hike as an error by the Federal Bureau of Revenue and requested him to maintain the current rate of taxes.
Raza told The Express Tribune that the current sales tax concession rate on import of machinery used in flour making is 10 per cent which is being increased to 17 per cent in the next financial year.
An increase in taxes will significantly increase the cost of imported machines by millions of rupees. At present, 65 per cent of the total cost of setting up mills consists of the purchase and import of modern machinery.
Moreover, an increase in the sales tax on bran to 17 per cent is expected to increase price of a 20 kg bag of flour by Rs 60 to Rs 67.
The PFMA Sindh chairman said there is a need to import 3 to 4 million tons of flour in August in order to meet the local need. He said the country consumes 30 million tons of flour annually.
The federal budget passed by the Imran Khan-led government has been criticised by many people in Pakistan, with some arguing that it provides no relief for the common man, there are no incentives, no scope for job creation and revenue generation.
Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin was greeted by jeers from the Opposition benches, with members shouting slogans and taunting the finance minister by laughing loudly as he praised PM Imran Khan’s economic initiatives while presenting the budget for the fiscal year 2021-22. (ANI)
Speaking on theaterisation of forces, General Rawat said that the process is going on well and it is making satisfactory progress….reports Asian Lite News
Asking armed forces to be on guard along borders with both China and Pakistan, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat has said that terrorists working with the Pakistan Army can go rogue and it could escalate the situation with India.
Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, the Chief of Defence Staff also stated that while there was a need to be alert on both the borders, the primary front for the defence forces at the moment was the Northern border where India and China have been locked in a military standoff since last year.
“I would say both the fronts are a priority for us. While we have to prepared at the northern fronts especially after the situation that evolved in 2020, We can’t lower our guard but on the western front.”
“I have always maintained that there are terrorists who operate with the Pakistani armed forces, some of these terrorists can actually become loose cannon and create a situation which could lead to an escalation. So we have to be fully prepared on our western fronts also. So I would say that we should be prepared for both the fronts but our primary front remains the northern front,” Gen Rawat said when asked who is the main adversary for the Indian defence forces between China and Pakistan.
Asked about the deployment of two-strike corps on the China front in last one year, he said this was about reorientation of the forces which have been getting dual tasks for several years now and they were not new raisings.
On Pakistan’s support for terror activities inside India, the CDS said while the ceasefire is holding along Line of Control (LoC) so far, the internal peace process is being disrupted by infiltration of weapons and drugs, using drones.
Gen Rawat said if the internal peace process is disrupted by the smuggling of drugs and weapons, then “we can’t really say that the ceasefire is holding”.
“Ceasefire so far along the LoC is holding, which is a positive sign. At the same time, we are also witnessing infiltration of weapons and ammunition, using drones. It doesn’t augur well for peace as these drugs and weapons are meant to disrupt the internal peace process,” he said.
“If the internal peace process is disrupted, then we can’t really say that the ceasefire is holding. The ceasefire doesn’t mean that you ceasefire along borders, but you at the same time create trouble in the hinterland. We would like a semblance of peace in the entire Jammu and Kashmir,” the CDS added.
Speaking on theaterisation of forces, General Rawat said that the process is going on well and it is making satisfactory progress.
“Amongst the three services, we have been able to resolve most of the issues. There is a better understanding that if the three services integrate, they can bring about jointness and carry out transformation. Then I think, we will ensure better efficiency and utilisation of our existing services. I think we’ll be better prepared for combat in the future,” he said.
Shedding light on the internal situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the CDS said he is “very confident” that the people of the Union Territory want peace.
“They have seen a lot of terrorism and insurgency over the years. People are now looking at peace returning, especially after the abrogation of Article 370. If this continues, the time will come when people themselves will shun violence and will not allow insurgency in the Valley because insurgency and terrorism can’t survive without the support of locals,” General Rawat said.
He further said that Army needs to identify the youth in the Valley who have been misled and guide them away from terrorism.
“Some of the youth who have been misled, I think we need to identify them and see how best we can converse with them and explain to them that terrorism is not the way forward, but peace and tranquillity is the way forward,” CDS Rawat added. (ANI)
The Indian Mission in Islamabad has asked all individuals listed to make necessary arrangements to reach at the Wagah-Attari border in time for their repatriation…reports Asian Lite News
Over 400 Indian nationals stranded in different parts of Pakistan due to the closure of borders for the containment of Covid-19 in March last year will return on June 28.
Additionally, 48 No Obligation to Return to India (NORI) visa holders and 8 spouses and relatives of NORI visa holders will also return from Pakistan to India the same day.
“High Commission of India in Pakistan is facilitating the return of 405 Indian nationals, 48 NORI visa holders and 8 spouses/relatives of NORI visa holders from Pakistan to India on June 28, 2021 as per the attached list,” said a statement of the Indian High Commission in Pakistan on Wednesday.
The repatriation will be carried out as per the list of Indian nationals and NORI visa holders, it noted.
The Indian Mission in Islamabad has asked all individuals listed to make necessary arrangements to reach at the Wagah-Attari border in time for their repatriation.
This is by far the highest number of Indian nationals to be repatriated from Pakistan in a single day since the Indian High Commission begun facilitating return of Indians from Pakistan in June last year.
India and Pakistan had then operated a shuttle service for people stuck on both sides of the border due to the pandemic. The High Commission had facilitated the return of 748 Indians from Pakistan on 25-27 June 2020.
More than 2,000 Indians and Pakistanis have already been allowed to return to their respective countries though the border since June.
This year alone, 114 compatriots had returned to India on 11 January. Besides, Indian nationals, NORI visa holders and their spouses or relatives have also been bought back to the country from Pakistan.
The Indian government issues NORI visas to Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals who leave their home country and live in India or are married in India but have not yet obtained Indian citizenship. (INN)
