Daily Times

The United Nations’ recent report that revealed Afghanistan continued to serve as a sanctuary for terror groups, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has vindicated Pakistan’s longstanding stance, the Foreign Office said.

“Responding to media queries on release of the 27th Report of the UN Analytical and Monitoring Team, FO Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said that the Report vindicates Pakistan’s longstanding position on threats posed to Pakistan and the region by groups like the TTP, JuA [Jamaatul-Ahrar], HuA [Hizb-ul-Ahrar] and their affiliates, based in Afghanistan,” read a statement issued by the FO.

According to the document, the reunion of terror groups was moderated by al Qaeda and was expected to increase the threat to Afghanistan, Pakistan and the region. The report reveals five entities pledged alliance to the TTP in July and August, including the Shehryar Mehsud group, Jamaatul-Ahrar, Hizb-ul-Ahrar, the Amjad Farooqi group and the Usman Saifullah group (formerly known as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi).

The Foreign Office also said that Pakistan, in the past, had drawn attention of the international community to the support provided to TTP and its affiliates by the hostile intelligence agencies.

“One of the results of that support was the merger of JuA, HuA, and other splinter groups of LeJ with TTP in Afghanistan last year,” it added.

Pakistan has also raised the issue of cross-border attacks carried out by the TTP on security forces deployed on its side of the border. Islamabad also acknowledges UNMT’s efforts in exposing the hostile agencies’ sponsored collusion of anti-Pakistan elements in Afghanistan. Pakistan stands firm in its resolve to partner with the international community against the menace of terrorism, the communiqué added.

It may be mentioned here that a new United Nations report has acknowledged the action taken by Pakistani government against individuals engaged in terrorist activities, adding that TTP is responsible for over 100 cross-border attacks within three months last year. On its part, Pakistan has consistently highlighted the terrorism threat from the TTP.

The 27th report points to the arrests in Pakistan of “individuals engaging in terrorism financing and the freezing of the assets of designated individuals and entities”. Diplomats noted that the UN acknowledgment of Pakistan actions comes at a time when India continues to blame Pakistan for inaction against the designated groups. Reporting on the activities of the TTP, the UN report saw the “reunification of splinter groups [of TTP] that took place in Afghanistan”.

Despite strong “Indian lobby”, Pakistan hopes that a watchdog for global money-laundering will not make a “politically motivated” decision at the next meeting later this month and remove the country’s name from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list.

Pakistan’s anxious eye is on the four-day virtual meeting of the FATF – a Paris-based global money-laundering watchdog – starting on February 22, which is expected to decide whether or not to remove Islamabad from its grey list.

The country has been on the FATF radar since June 2018, when it was placed on its grey list for terrorist financing and money laundering risks after an assessment of the country’s financial system and security mechanism. “It’s not that Pakistan is not trying hard to get out of the grey list, but the lobbying against the country by India is very strong,” a Pakistani representative in the FATF said.