Pakistan: Tenuous Control In Dera Ismail Khan – Analysis

By Tushar Ranjan Mohanty*

On July 21, 2019, a group of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants on four motorcycles opened fire on Policemen at the Kotla Saidan checkpost in Dera Ismail Khan town of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

Two Policemen were killed in the attack. Following the gun attack, a suicide blast took place at the hospital where the victims were shifted. The female fidayeen (suicide bomber) struck at the entrance to the hospital, killing four Policemen and three civilians who were visiting their relatives. 30 others were injured in the two incidents.

The TTP ‘spokesperson’ Muhammad Khorasani, in a statement, claimed the attacks were carried out in retaliation for the killing of a suspected terrorist by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Dera Ismail Khan District on June 23, 2019. Security Forces (SFs) had killed a militant and arrested another after they threw hand-grenades at the Cantonment Police Station in Dera Ismail Khan on June 23.

On March 18, 2019, at least three persons, including two Policemen, were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion near a Police vehicle in the Parowa Sub-District of Dera Ismail Khan. The Police van was on a routine patrol in the Parowa area when the bomb, planted on a bicycle, went off.

On March 15, 2019, a CTD Police Constable was killed when unidentified assailants opened fire on him in the Muddy area in Kulachi tehsil (revenue unit) of Dera Ismail Khan District.

Sources stated that the Constable was on his way home after offering Friday prayers, when unidentified motorcyclists opened fire on him, killing him on the spot.

On February 12, 2019, at least four Policemen were killed and a Station House Office (SHO) was injured in an ambush in the Maharah area of Parowa Sub-District in Dera Ismail Khan District. District Police Officer (DPO) Mohammad Iqbal disclosed that suspected militants targeted a Police van patrolling the area.

According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), Dera Ismail Khan District has recorded at least 17 terrorism-related fatalities (11 SF personnel, four civilians and two terrorists) in 2019, thus far (data till July 28, 2019).

During the corresponding period of 2018, the Province registered eight terrorism-related fatalities (three terrorists, three SF personnel and two civilians).

During the corresponding period of 2017, there were 11 such fatalities (four civilians, four SF personnel and three militants), while these numbers stood at nine (six civilians and three SF personnel) in the same period of 2016.   

Militancy-related Fatalities in Dera Ismail Khan: 2000*-2019**

Year	Incidents	Civilians	Security Forces	Militants	Not Specified (NS)	Total
2000	0	0	0	0	0	0
2001	4	5	1	0	0	6
2002	0	0	0	0	0	0
2003	2	2	1	0	0	3
2004	3	4	0	0	2	6
2005	1	2	0	0	0	2
2006	2	1	7	0	0	8
2007	13	40	13	5	5	63
2008	12	42	12	37	4	95
2009	25	68	5	6	14	93
2010	8	10	5	5	11	31
2011	7	1	13	6	0	20
2012	10	22	1	7	0	30
2013	3	14	12	9	0	35
2014	12	10	6	7	0	23
2015	9	8	7	11	0	26
2016	6	6	3	0	0	9
2017	7	4	5	6	0	15
2018	4	2	5	3	0	10
2019	6	4	11	2	0	17
Total	134	245	107	104	36	492

*March 6, 2000; **July 28, 2019; Source: SATP

More worryingly, total fatalities in first six months and 28 days of 2019 have already crossed the total number of terrorism-related fatalities recorded each year, since 2016. 

Dera Ismail Khan has accounted for a total of 492 fatalities [245 civilians, 107 SF personnel, 104 terrorists and 36 not-specified (NS)] since March 6, 2000, when SATP commenced compiling data on Pakistan. These fatalities have been recorded in a total of 134 incidents of killing. 43 of these 134 incidents were ‘major (involving three or more fatalities). These major incidents resulted in the death of 362 persons (182 civilians, 72 SF personnel, 84 militants and 24 NS).

The District has recorded a total of 243 violent incidents since March 6, 2000. These include 89 incidents of explosion and 16 suicide attacks.

According to Dera Ismail Khan Police data, 111 Policemen were killed and 180 sustained injuries in acts of terrorism and targeted attacks, between January 2008 and December 2018. During the same period, seven Army soldiers were killed and 14 were injured. Besides, five personnel of the Frontier Constabulary were killed and one was injured. 474 civilians were killed in the 10-year period ending December 2018.

With a population of more than 1.6 million people, Dera Ismail Khan has long been a centre of terrorist activities due to its strategic location. It shares borders with South Waziristan, Tank and Lakki Marwat Districts in KP; Mianwali, Bhakkar and Dera Ghazi khan Districts in Punjab, and the Zhob District of Balochistan. Two of these neighbouring districts, South Waziristan and Zhob, share borders with Afghanistan. Dera Ismail Khan has served as a transit point for militants operating in these areas.

Analyst Syed Kashif Ali in a February 5, 2017, column, noted that, owing to its geo-strategic importance, Dera Ismail Khan served as a gateway for Punjabi militants fighting against the Soviets in Afghanistan during the 1980s. During the 1990s, the District became a recruitment-centre for terrorist organisations operating out of Pakistan occupied Kashmir, such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI), which have organisational structures, recruitment centres and offices operating openly in the Dera Ismail Khan city.

The District, which had earlier served as a transit route for militants, progressively transformed into a terror hub after the emergence of TTP. The other major extremist group operational in the District is the sectarian Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). These outfits began creating havoc in the District in 2007, as in the rest of the Pakistan. Like other parts of Pakistan, Dera Ismail Khan has witnessed relative improvement, after the peakof 2007-09. However, the threat persists, as indicated by the recent surge in fatalities. As Dar Ali Khattak, Regional Police Officer (RPO) for Dera Ismail Khan, notes, “The situation is now under control, but we have to stay alert to cope with the threat.”  

Though a semblance of peace has been established in Dera Ismail Khan District, as a result of several operations launched against domestically oriented terror formations over the years, no steps have been taken to de-radicalise the wider society, which continues to serve as a fertile ground for extremists to breed and thrive.

https://www.eurasiareview.com/30072019-pakistan-tenuous-control-in-dera-ismail-khan-analysis/

شمالی وزیرستان میں عورتیں اکیلی گھر سے نہ نکلیں: ٹی ٹی پی

دلاورخان وزیر 

شمالی وزیرستان میں پولیس نے تصدیق کی ہے کہ شمالی وزیرستان کے مختلف علاقوں سے تحریک طالبان پاکستان کی جانب سے دھمکی آمیز پمفلٹ ملے ہیں مگر ان کا کہنا ہے کہ خوف کی کوئی بات نہیں اور شمالی وزیرستان میں عملی طور پر ان کے موجودگی کی کوئی اطلاع نہیں ہے۔

اکستان کے قبائلی اضلاع شمالی وزیرستان میں کالعدم تنظیم تحریک طالبان پاکستان نے ایک پمفلٹ جاری کیا ہے جس میں کہا گیا ہے کہ بغیر کسی مرد کے عورت کے گھر سے باہر جانے پر مکمل پابندی ہو گی اور گھروں کے اندر اور باہر گانے بجانے کی اجازت نہیں ہو گی جس کی خلاف ورزی کرنے والوں کے خلاف کارروائی عمل میں لائی جائےگی۔

شمالی وزیرستان میں پولیس نے تصدیق کی ہے کہ شمالی وزیرستان کے مختلف علاقوں سے تحریک طالبان پاکستان کی جانب سے دھمکی آمیز پمفلٹ ملے ہیں مگر ان کا کہنا ہے کہ خوف کی کوئی بات نہیں اور شمالی وزیرستان میں عملی طور پر ان کے موجودگی کی کوئی اطلاع نہیں ہے۔

ضلع میران شاہ میں پولیس کے سربراہ شفیع اللہ نے انڈپینڈنٹ اردو کو بتایا کہ تحریک طالبان پاکستان کی جانب سے پھینکے گئے پمفلٹ سے کسی قسم کا کوئی خوف نہیں پھیلا اور لوگ پولیس کی کارکردگی سے مطمئن ہیں۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ پولیس ہر قسم کی دہشت گردی سے نمٹنے کے لیے تیار ہے اور فوج کے شانہ بشانہ کھڑی ہے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ پولیو ورکروں کو کئی ماہ سے دھمکیاں مل رہی ہے لیکن پولیو مہم پر اس کا کوئی اثر نہیں پڑا ہے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ صوبائی اسمبلی کے انتخابات کے دوران بھی دھمکی ملی تھی مگر کچھ نہیں ہوا۔

پمفلٹ میں بتایاگیا ہے کہ کسی بھی پروگرام میں ڈی جے کے استعمال کرنے والوں کے خلاف سخت کارروائی ہو گی خواہ وہ گھر کے اندر ہو یا باہر کھلے میدان میں دونوں صورتوں میں ڈی جے کو لانے والوں کے خلاف انہوں نے کارروائی کا فیصلہ کیا ہے۔

پمفلٹ شمالی وزیرستان کے مرکزی شہر میران شاہ، میر علی اور دوسرے شہروں میں تقسیم کیے گئے ہیں۔ اس پمفلٹ میں کہا گیا ہے کہ بازاروں اور کمپیوٹر کی دکانوں میں بلند آواز سے گانا بجانا بھی سختی سے منع ہے۔

پمفلٹ میں دعویٰ کیا گیا ہے کہ ہر تین بندوں میں سے ایک ان کا ہے اور طالبان کے احکامات کی خلاف ورزی کرنے والے لوگوں سے طالبان باخبر ہیں اور وہ اس غلط فہمی میں نہ رہیں کہ طالبان کو ان کی برائی کا علم نہیں۔ پمفلٹ میں کہاگیا ہے کہ کوئی بھی عورت گھر سے باہر اکیلی نہ نکلے اور عورت کا گھر سے باہر نکلنا پورے معاشرے کے لیے نقصان دہ ہے۔

قدامت پسند سمجھے جانے والے وزیرستان کے علاقے میں ویسے بھی خواتین بازاروں میں کوئی زیادہ دکھائی نہیں دیتیں، تاہم ان تازہ دھمکیوں کا باعث مبصرین کو سمجھ نہیں آ رہا۔

پمفلٹ میں پولیو ورکروں کو بھی خبردار کیا ہے کہ وہ پولیو قطرے کے دوران صرف بچوں کے انگلیوں پر نشانات لگائیں اور قطرے نہ پلائیں اگر کسی نے خلاف ورزی کی اور قطرے پلائے تو ان کے خلاف کارروائی کی جائے گی۔

پمفلٹ میں ان لوگوں کو دھمکی دی ہے جو علاقے میں طالبان شدت پسندوں کے خلاف جاسوسی کر رہے ہیں اور سرکاری اداروں کو طالبان کی موجودگی کی جاسوسی کرتے چلے آ رہے ہیں۔ ’ان جاسوسوں کو انجام تک پہنچائیں گے اور عنقریب ہی ان کو عبرت کا نشانہ بنائیں گے۔‘

اس پمفلٹ کے اوپر سرخی کے طور پر ’عزیز ساتھیو‘ درج ہے جبکہ جاری کنندہ میں تحریک طالبان پاکستان لکھا گیا ہے۔ یہ پمفلٹ باقاعدہ طور پر پرنٹ ہوا ہے اور اس میں وزیرستان کے عوام کو خبردار کیا گیا ہے۔

وزیرستان میں اس طرح کے پمفلٹ جاری کرنے کا یہ کوئی پہلا واقعہ نہیں ہے اور ماضی میں بھی مختلف اوقات میں لوگوں کو دھمکیاں یا انہیں کسی بات سے منع کرنے کے لیے اس طرح کے پمفلٹ جاری کیے جاتے رہے ہیں۔

جنوبی و شمالی وزیرستان میں گذشتہ کچھ عرصے سے جاسوسی کے الزامات یا نامعلوم افراد کی فائرنگ میں اضافہ ہوا ہے۔ گذشتہ دنوں جنوبی وزیرستان کے علاقے شکتوئی میں سلیم نامی ایک شخص کو نامعلوم افراد نے گھر کے اندر فائرنگ کرکے قتل کر دیا تھا۔

 شکتوئی سابق طالبان کمانڈر بیت اللہ کا آبائی گاؤں بتایا جاتا ہے۔ اس طرح جنوبی و شمالی وزیرستان میں گذشتہ ایک ہفتے کے دوران نامعلوم افراد کی فائرنگ کے نتیجہ میں چار افراد ہلاک ہوئے ہیں۔ اس کے علاوہ گذشتہ روز جنوبی و شمالی وزیرستان کے سنگم پر واقع علاقہ بازی خیل میں ایک بارودی سرنگ کے دھماکے میں چار بچے زخمی ہوگئے تھے۔

جنوبی وزیرستان سے اطلاعات ہیں کہ نہ صرف مقامی طالبان کی تعداد میں اضافہ ہوا ہے بلکہ افغانستان سے تعلق رکھنے والے طالبان بھی کھلے عام مسلح پھرتے دیکھے جا سکتے ہیں جس کی وجہ سے عوامی حلقوں میں خوف کی فضا موجود ہے۔

Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari constitutes five member fact finding committee to ascertain the role of Party senators in the voting on no confidence motion in the senate

Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari today constituted a five member fact finding committee to ascertain the role of Party senators in the voting on no confidence motion in the senate against Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani on Thursday & matters related thereto. Members of Committee are; 

Yousuf Raza Gilani, Nayyer Hussain Bukhari, Saeed Ghani, Sabir Baloch and Farhatullah Babar. The committee may also co-opt other members if necessary. The fact finding committee will also make recommendations about the resignations already submitted by party senators to Chairman PPP.

In a statement Farhatullah Babar said that Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had expressed deep disappointment with the horse trading in the Senate on Thursday and decided to try to get to the bottom of it, expose those who played a dirty role, find out why the joint opposition was unable to remove Mr Sanjrani despite being in majority and to punish any party senator if found guilty of defection and violating party discipline. The decision to move no confidence against Chairman senate was taken unanimously at the June 26 multi party conference in Islamabad. The members of fact finding committee are drawn from all provinces. The Party hopes that other opposition parties will also investigate the matter with respect to their senators.

https://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/2019/08/02/chairman-ppp-bilawal-bhutto-zardari-constitutes-five-member-fact-finding-committee-to-ascertain-the-role-of-party-senators-in-the-voting-on-no-confidence-motion-in-the-senate/

#Punjab Executive Meeting Chaired by Chairman #PPP Bilawal Bhutto

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Kulbhushan Jadhav: Understanding The ICJ Verdict From A Legal Standpoint – Analysis

By Govind Manoharan

During the Independence Day celebrations in 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his gratitude from the ramparts of the Red Fort to the people of Balochistan, a vast, highly disturbed region almost 1,000 km away from New Delhi. He then mentioned the joint Indian, Afghan, and Iranian efforts in developing the Chabahar Port in Iran, when only about 200 km and three months away, the Chinese sponsored Gwadar Port in Balochistan, Pakistan, would be inaugurated by the then Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Again, in September 2016, a month after the prime minister’s shout-out to the people of Baloch,the region would be mentioned by India before the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to highlight Pakistan’s poor human rights record.

Even before this sustained invective from India on Balochistan, Pakistan had already invited attention to India’s alleged presence in the region in March 2016, with the arrest of a retired Indian navy officer from Balochistan, Mr Kulbhushan Jadhav. The matter of his treatment under international law plunged the two countries into a diplomatic quagmire that finally saw a resolution at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2019. While a verdict of the ICJ ought to be sparingly considered to be any resolution owing to the peculiarity of its jurisdiction (being rarely conclusive or binding), the decision on the claim brought by India against Pakistan resulted in three significant directions:

a.   Jadhav should be informed of his rights and India be granted consular access to him in accordance with the applicable treaty provisions;

b.   The conviction and death sentence awarded by a Pakistani military court would be subject to an effective review and reconsideration mechanism, of its own choosing; and,

c.   Stay of the execution of the death penalty awarded by Pakistan’s military court until the completion of the review process.

India’s claim was primarily founded on the violation of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963, which mandated that the receiving state ought to inform the detained foreign national of their right to contact the appropriate consulate, and if requested, to grant consular access to the sending state. This claim, which was decided by the ICJ in favour of India, was a sure-shot winner—based on a literal interpretation of a treaty that both India and Pakistan were party to, considering there was no controversy regarding whether any consular access was, in fact, granted by Pakistan to India (it was not).

However, the remedy sought by India for setting aside the conviction and sentence awarded to Jadhav by the military tribunal for the offences of espionage, and consequently to acquit and repatriate Jadhav, was rejected by the Court. The ICJ could not to sit in appeal over criminal adjudication by domestic courts—a settled position on its jurisdiction which the court rightly inclined towards. Instead, the court directed that an effective review and reconsideration mechanism of Pakistan’s own choosing must be employed to revisit the conviction and sentence. This direction is worth a closer look.

The ICJ, after an analysis of the remedies available to Jadhav against the military tribunal’s decision as per the applicable domestic laws viz. the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 and the Constitution of Pakistan, indicated—rather uncharacteristically—that Pakistan ought to provide an effective review mechanism, if necessary, by enacting legislation.This suggestion to enact legislation (in paragraph 146), although mandated to be one of the considerations for Pakistan while undertaking a fresh review, is likely to be ignored by Pakistan as this may be perceived as a violation of the sovereignty of the state.

The Army Act also covers any person accused of committing offences under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and terrorism-related offences (apart from the members of the armed and other allied forces), and consequently, subject them to trial offences under the Act before the court martial. Meanwhile, the jurisdiction of the high courts to issue a writ is provided under the Article 199 of the Constitution. ICJ’s unusual suggestion to amend the extant laws to make it more “effective” seems to be based on a limitation imposed on the powers of the high courts in Pakistan to issue writs to judicially review orders passed by the military courts.

Similar to provisions of the Indian Constitution, Article 199 specifically provides for the intervention of the high courts in matters of violation of fundamental rights, which include the right to fair trial and the right of an accused against self-incrimination. However, the decision of the Constitution Bench of the Pakistan Supreme Court in Said Zaman Khan’s case restricts the scope of judicial review of orders passed by the court martial under the Army Act to cases where there is either a demonstrable lack of jurisdiction, malice in law, bias and/or, insufficient or no evidence for conviction.

By leaving it to Pakistan’s own choosing, with a non-effective suggestion for enacting a better law, it is conceivable that Pakistan follows the same course with Jadhav as it did in the earlier round. The crucial factor for this round of review could be the possibility of adequate and effective legal advice and assistance that India may be able to offer Jadhav once consular access is granted, which Pakistan has agreed to provide post the ICJ verdict.

If the advice is to mount a challenge to the order of the military court before the high court on the limited grounds available, whether the violations of basic procedures to ensure dignity of treatment of foreign nationals under the Vienna Convention would warrant its interference in accord with parameters set by the Pakistan Supreme Court is debatable. India, on the other hand, as well as the ICJ, may find its hands tied if the conviction and death sentence is upheld in a judicial process in Pakistan in the second round.

While victories are being paraded on both sides (as seems to be the trend), a few words of caution—in the Avena case, even though the ICJ directed the US to provide effective review and reconsideration, one of the 51 Mexicans for whom this international dispute was agitated by Mexico was eventually executed.

With allegations by Pakistan that India is meddling in Balochistan and escalation of tensions between the two, this may be a time for effective diplomacy rather than legal gambles—at the end of the day, a person’s liberty is at stake.

Pakistani men are ‘losing’ jannat on TikTok. And Imran Khan is busy targeting media

NAILA INAYAT 

Pakistan’s TikTok is sparing none and having fun. Some call it un-Islamic and want a ban.

All work and no TikTok makes Pakistanis’ lives dull. These are the young and the old, the urban and the rural, the sassy new-age revolutionaries of Pakistani TikTok. In the times of curbs on mainstream media in Pakistan, a 15-second video on the social media platform is all it takes to dismantle any social, cultural and political argument.

Breaking the cultural hegemony of how men and women ought to behave, the Pakistani TikToker cares nothing about what the world says. Walking away from the global stereotype of a long-bearded man, he records his video, acting to the voice of a child asking for his favourite food.

In another video, he is seen acting to the voice of a little girl. The refreshing part is that this long-bearded man is just being plain silly and there is just so much comfort in how he takes to each voice-over.

In Pakistan, YouTube was banned between 2012 and 2016 because of the film Innocence of Muslims. Facebook was also banned for two weeks in 2010 because of alleged blasphemous content on pages like ‘Everybody Draw Mohammad Day’. In a land where the spectre of blasphemy charges is always a real and ever-present danger, TikTok has managed to stay safe so far – mostly because the Imran Khan government has its hands full, going after journalists and struggling to suspend some Twitter accounts.

Rural, lower middle-class Pakistanis largely dominate TikTok, but some urban ‘burger crowds’ also inhabit the platform with their tales of urban friendships, romantic troubles and caste jokes. Caste fights are seen when the rich and privileged can’t swallow that a user from an underprivileged background is getting more likes than him. TikTok is a great equaliser.

Not without politics

TikTok is no Facebook, where you want to rub it in about how perfectly happy your life is. TikTok is all about the imperfections. But no creative expression in Pakistan can keep politics away.

The government might have a noose around most TV news channels, but it is exposed rather hilariously on TikTok by naysayers. The TikTokers talk of Imran Khan’s promises of making Naya Pakistan; sometimes they remind the prime minister of how he said he’s not going to beg only to make a U-turn later.

When the prices of petrol go up in Pakistan, TikTok is lit with a donkey cart getting fuel at the station. Taking a jibe at the current state of the government, one user shows Rs 500, Rs 1000 notes to Imran Khan but the PM finally laughs when he is shown Rs 5,000 notes.

The Germany-Japan border gaffe is shot with not-to-miss props, suggesting the possible frame of mind PM Imran Khan was in when he told the world how “Germany and Japan killed millions until after the WWII” when they decided to have joint industries along their “border regions”.

TikTokers are not happy with anyone. One user dances to a song on how the Pakistan Peoples Party killed him with its arrow, then came the lion of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), and now his skin is being ripped apart by Imran Khan’s Shaukat Khanum hospital.

Bollywood is popular choice

The light-headed silliness is infectious. When Mehak dances at the Sargodha junction station, you know the setting and the character is real. Or, when the brothers from Karachi dance to Bollywood numbers in their videos, you feel like dancing too.

If Salman Khan has been known throughout his career for going topless, check these men on TikTok who tear out their t-shirts in literally every video. Why would they do that? How can they ruin so many t-shirts? No one cares for these questions as others are following their routine already.

If there is romance, then there is anti-romance as well. Like this nani gets annoyed when asked about romancing; she says, “what am I going to do with romance now, I’m old”. She is so endearing in her utter disdain.

But then if nani doesn’t want to romance, there are other oldies who want to have fun. This duet on Ek pardesi mera dil le gaya is just an insight into the diversity that at least Pakistan TikTok offers.

As entertaining as it is, there are rules too. Sajid Khan from Jhelum district of Punjab was booked for recording a TikTok video with an illegal weapon, a 30-bore pistol, in hand. He was booked for illegal possession of weapon by police.

No jannat for TikTok users?

There are always those who see the activity of TikTokers as un-Islamic. Protesters have charged that by being on TikTok, the youth were ruining their afterlife, in jannat obviously. And then there are those who want to get TikTok banned because too much fun can spoil a perfectly disciplined society. In January, a man from Nowshera district lodged a complaint with the authorities demanding that the government should ban TikTok as he saw it as a “social ill” for Pakistan.

Till it is banned, like in the past YouTube and Facebook were, Pakistan TikTok continues to democratise every discourse and continues to gather thousands of views with new set of influencers.

British High Commissioner called on Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

Islamabad, 30 July 2019: British High Commissioner to Pakistan Mr. Thomas Drew called on Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at Zardari House Islamabad on Tuesday evening.

Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Mr. Thomas Drew discussed matters of mutual interests including political issues. Trade relations between both countries also came under discussion.

Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed his good wishes for newly elected British Prime Minister Mr. Boris Johnson.

Senator Sherry Rehman and Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar were also present on the occasion.

US pressed Pakistan on FATF compliance during Imran Khan’s visit

Imran Khan’s delegation included among others General Qamar Javed Bajwa, chief of army staff who is often considered the real power center in Pakistan, and Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, the newly appointed head of the Inter-Services Intelligence.

The United States had repeatedly pressed visiting Prime Minister Imran Khan and his delegation, which included the powerful army chief and the ISI boss, on compliance with counter-terrorism commitments that Pakistan has given to an international body that monitors and combats financing of terrorism.

Pakistan’s obligations to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the Paris-based body, as part of an ongoing discussion, was raised with Khan and his delegation at their meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House and at a separate meeting with Secretary of States Mike Pompeo, a senior state department official told reporters Wednesday, revealing for the first time the depth and granular details of the counter-terrorism discussion.

Khan’s delegation included among others General Qamar Javed Bajwa, chief of army staff who is often considered the real power center in Pakistan, and Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, the newly appointed head of the Inter-Services Intelligence that has been long accused of running and supporting terrorist groups operating in India and Afghanistan.

“At the White House meeting, the two sides also discussed the Financial Action Task Force, which was the subject the secretary also discussed at length with Prime Minister Khan and the chief of staff Bajwa,” the official said, and added, when asked if everyone on the Pakistani delegation including the ISI chief was on board, the United States “heard a consistent common message from the Pakistan delegation”.

The 38-member FATF, which coordinates its work with the International Monetary Fund that recently agreed to advance another bailout package to Pakistan, has put Pakistan on a “grey list” of countries with “strategic deficiencies” to combat money laundering and terror financing and is working with them to address those issues, according to a plan endorsed by the Khan government. But its progress was found inadequate at the monitoring agency’s plenary in June, and it is in imminent danger of being relegated to the “black list” of more egregious offenders such as North Korea, if it is still non-compliant by October.

While the Afghan peace process and Pakistan’s potential role in advancing it using its leverage with the Taliban was the chief purpose of President Donald Trump inviting and meeting Prime Minister Khan, counter-terrorism was next, according to the order in which the official listed out the subjects discussed by the two sides. Bilateral trade, which stands at around a paltry $6 billion, and other aspects of their ties followed.

The United States has pressed Pakistan for “sustained”, “meaningful”, “verifiable” and “irreversible” action against terrorism for years. The Trump administration dialed it up considerably, backed by bipartisan congressional support, and suspended millions of dollars in security aid.

There was no discussion about the resumption of that aid at any of the meetings — and to Khan’s credit he did not ask for it, as he had promised to the diaspora the night before his White House meetings. But the underlying reason for it — Pakistan’s reluctance to get rid of its terrorists remains at the “crux” of its problem along borders with India and Afghanistan — was re-litigated by the US side, which made it clear they will be watching closely.

Compliance with the FATF commitment will be crucial. As part of the rectification plan, Pakistan has agreed to undertake certain measures to stop financing of terrorism, arrest and prosecute individuals involved in terrorism, and the Trump administration intends to hold Khan to it, invoking his own “stated commitment” that Pakistan for its own future will prevent the operation of “all militant groups on its territory”.

“It’s a fact-based checklist,” the official said of Pakistan’s undertakings to the FATF. “We will certainly be looking how Pakistan is able to implement those commitment.”

The official hastened to add that the FATF check-list was not a list of US demands and they were obligations given to the international community, but added, at the same time, that it was a “discrete, tangible and measurable” yardstick for Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-pressed-pakistan-on-fatf-compliance-during-imran-khan-s-visit/story-AzXO2BHwmytMSGPdugb17K.html