FATF rules Pakistan made only “limited progress” on curbing terror funding

In this file finance minister of Asad Umar is chairing National Executive Committee (NEC) in Islamabad on Dec. 18, 2018 to assess the efforts of the country on progress Financial Action Task Force (FATF) action plan – File Photo (PID)
Updated 23 February 2019
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FATF rules Pakistan made only “limited progress” on curbing terror funding

  • Urges it to “swiftly” take adequate steps to improve terror financing risks
  • Pakistan could be placed on FATF blacklist if it does not take specific actions by May

KARACHI: Global financial watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) said Friday Pakistan had only made “limited progress” on an action plan to curb terrorism financing and money laundering and urged it to take at least ten necessary actions by May to avoid being placed on a blacklist.

Pakistan was included in a terror financing gray list last June after it failed to persuade the Paris-based FATF to keep it off a list of nations with inadequate controls to prevent terror financing and money laundering. The task force will make a final decision this year on removing Pakistan from its gray list, including it in its blacklist or excluding it altogether.

Being added to the watchlist makes it harder for governments to access international markets and attracts added scrutiny from regulators and financial institutions, adding obstacles to trade and investment.

“Given the limited progress on action plan items due in January 2019, the FATF urges Pakistan to swiftly complete its action plan, particularly those with timelines of May 2019.” the task force said in a statement.

Pakistan’s finance ministry said on Friday that FATF had advised Pakistan to take further actions that included a detailed assessment of the terror financing risk, strengthening of Anti-Money Laundering/Combating Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) supervisory measures by regulatory authorities, undertaking financial inquiries and investigations into terrorist funding activities and raising awareness among citizens about counter-terror financing measures and controls.

“The FATF will undertake the next review of Pakistan’s progress in June 2019 which will be preceded by Face-to-Face meeting with the Joint Group in May 2019,” the finance ministry said.

In its statement, the task force acknowledged that Pakistan had taken some steps towards improving its AML/CFT regime, “including by operationalising the integrated database for its currency declaration regime.”

However, it said that Pakistan did not “demonstrate a proper understanding” of the terror financing risks posed by a number of groups that operated in Pakistan, including Daesh, Al Qaeda, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, Jaish-e-Mohammed, the Haqqani Network as well as individuals affiliated with the Taliban insurgency.

The task force outlined ten steps that Pakistan needed to “swiftly” taken to address its strategic counter-terrorist financing-related deficiencies, particularly those with timelines of May 2019. These include:

(1) Adequately demonstrating its proper understanding of the TF [terror financing] risks posed by the terrorist groups above, and conducting supervision on a risk-sensitive basis.

(2) Demonstrating that remedial actions and sanctions are applied in cases of AML/CFT violations, and that these actions have an effect on AML/CFT compliance by financial institutions.

(3) Demonstrating that competent authorities are cooperating and taking action to identify and take enforcement action against illegal money or value transfer services (MVTS).

(4) Demonstrating that authorities are identifying cash couriers and enforcing controls on illicit movement of currency and understanding the risk of cash couriers being used for TF.

(5) Improving inter-agency coordination including between provincial and federal authorities on combating TF risks.

(6) demonstrating that law enforcement agencies (LEAs) are identifying and investigating the widest range of TF activity and that TF investigations and prosecutions target designated persons and entities, and persons and entities acting on behalf or at the direction of the designated persons or entities.

(7) Demonstrating that TF prosecutions result in effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions and enhancing the capacity and support for prosecutors and the judiciary.

(8) demonstrating effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions (supported by a comprehensive legal obligation) against all 1267 and 1373 designated terrorists and those acting for or on their behalf, including preventing the raising and moving of funds, identifying and freezing assets (movable and immovable), and prohibiting access to funds and financial services.

(9) Demonstrating enforcement against TFS violations including administrative and criminal penalties and provincial and federal authorities cooperating on enforcement cases;

(10) Demonstrating that facilities and services owned or controlled by designated person are deprived of their resources and the usage of the resources.


Pakistan plans to launch transshipment operations between Gwadar and Gulf region

Updated 7 sec ago
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Pakistan plans to launch transshipment operations between Gwadar and Gulf region

  • The country has been looking to capitalize on its geostrategic location to boost transit trade and foreign investment
  • Islamabad also seeks to cut container dwell time at ports by up to 70 percent to improve trade competitiveness, ease congestion

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government is actively engaging private shipping liners to commence transshipment operations between Gwadar and the Gulf region, Pakistani state media reported on Friday. 

The statement came from officials at a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Gwadar Port operationalization, which was presided over by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal.

Maritime officials informed the participants that initial cargo categories will include minerals, dates, seafood, and cement, targeting sectors such as mining, fisheries, and processing industries.

Iqbal said Gwadar’s geostrategic position as the shortest trade route to the Gulf and Central Asia highlighted the port’s potential as a regional transshipment hub, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.

“Iqbal emphasized the need to showcase Gwadar Port in international road-shows as a strategic trade hub linking the Gulf and Central Asia,” the report read. “He directed stakeholders to promote the port’s cost-effective trade routes and available incentives for international businesses.”

Gwadar, situated along the Arabian Sea, lies at the heart of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), under which Beijing has funneled tens of billions of dollars into massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan.

Pakistan, slowly recovering from a macroeconomic crisis under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal, has been looking to capitalize on its geostrategic location to boost transit trade and foreign investment for a sustainable economic recovery.

The country plans to cut container dwell time at its seaports by up to 70 percent to improve trade competitiveness and ease congestion, while it last month reduced port charges for exporters by 50 percent at the country’s second biggest Port Qasim.


Three million Afghans likely to return this year after Pakistan, Iran introduce new policies

Updated 12 July 2025
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Three million Afghans likely to return this year after Pakistan, Iran introduce new policies

  • Over 1.6 million Afghans have already returned from Pakistan and Iran this year
  • The figure already exceeds the UNHCR’s initial forecasts of 1.4 million for 2025

UNITED NATIONS: Three million Afghans could return to their country this year, a UN refugee official said Friday, warning that the repatriation flow is placing intense pressure on an already major humanitarian crisis.

Iran and Pakistan have introduced new policies affecting displaced Afghans, with Tehran already having given four million “illegal” Afghans until July 6 to leave Iranian territory.

“What we are seeing is the undignified, disorganized and massive exodus of Afghans from both countries, which is generating enormous pressures on the homeland that is willing to receive them and yet utterly unprepared to do so,” the

UNHCR representative in Afghanistan, Arafat Jamal, said during a video press conference from Kabul.

“Of concern to us is this scale, the intensity and the manner in which returns are occurring.”

Over 1.6 million Afghans have already returned from Pakistan and Iran this year, the large majority from Iran, Jamal added. The figure already exceeds the UNHCR’s initial forecasts of 1.4 million for 2025.

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees now estimates three million coming into Afghanistan this year, Jamal said.

The UN agency said over 30,000 people per day have streamed across the Islam Qala border into Afghanistan, with 50,000 crossing on July 4 alone.

“Many of these returnees are arriving having been abruptly uprooted and having undergone an arduous, exhausting and degrading journey. They arrive tired, disoriented, brutalized and often in despair,” Jamal said.

The United Nations has taken emergency measures to reinforce water and sanitation systems intended to serve 7,000 to 10,000 people per day, as well as vaccinations and nutrition services.

Many who have crossed the border have reported pressure from Iranian authorities, including arrests and expulsions.


Pakistan issues flood warning for multiple provinces till July 17

Updated 12 July 2025
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Pakistan issues flood warning for multiple provinces till July 17

  • The development came after nationwide death toll from rains, floods rose to 90 since late June
  • Relief efforts continue in several areas, with tents, ration and blankets distributed among affectees

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a fresh alert and warned of potential flood and flash flood risks in various regions of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces from July 12 till July 17, with at least 90 people killed in rain-related incidents since late June.

In Punjab, widespread rainfall is expected across districts including Jhelum, Chakwal, Talagang, Mandi Bahauddin, Sargodha, Hafizabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Lahore, Narowal, DG Khan, Rajanpur and Rahim Yar Khan.

This weather activity may result in medium to high flows in torrents of DG Khan and Rajanpur, while nullahs originating from the Pir Panjal range in northeastern Punjab may experience a significant rise in water levels.

Rainfall is expected in KP’s Dir, Swat, Besham, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Karak, Kohat, Kohistan, Nowshera, Peshawar, Mardan, Malakand, Charsadda, Bannu, Buner, Swabi, and Waziristan. This may lead to increased flows in the

Kabul River and its tributaries, including Swat, Panjkora, and Kalpani nullahs. River Swat and Panjkora, along with their associated streams, may swell due to rainfall in their catchments. River Kabul at Nowshera is expected to reach low flood levels.

In Balochistan, an active weather system is likely to trigger isolated rains and thunderstorms from July 13 till July 17 in Ziarat, Quetta, Mastung, Kalat, Surab, Zhob, Barkhan, Musakhel, Loralai, Awaran, Khuzdar, Dera Bugti and surrounding areas, with a possibility of flash flooding in local streams and nullahs, particularly in the torrents originating from the Kirthar Range, according to the NDMA.

“Authorities are advised to ensure the readiness of emergency teams, availability of machinery, and clearance of drainage systems. Tourists should avoid high-altitude areas, while residents in vulnerable zones must secure valuables, vehicles, and livestock, and keep essential supplies,” the NDMA said in its alert issued late Friday.

“District administrations, especially in northeastern and central Punjab, should deploy dewatering equipment to manage urban flooding. Citizens are urged to avoid flooded roads, low bridges, and causeways.”

The death toll from monsoon downpours in Pakistan rose to 90 on Friday after three children died in rain-related incidents in the eastern Punjab province, according to the NDMA.

Punjab has reported 32 deaths, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 30 deaths, Sindh with 16 deaths, Balochistan with 11 fatalities and one man lost his life in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, relief operations continue in affected areas, with authorities distributing tents, ration bags, blankets, sandbags, quilts, gas cylinders, mattresses, kitchen sets, mosquito nets, plastic mats, hygiene kits and food packets to affected families. Pakistan has also rolled out a location-based SMS alert system to warn citizens living in flood-prone areas about imminent weather threats.

Pakistan, home to over 240 million people, is consistently ranked among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. In 2022, record-breaking monsoon rains and glacier melt triggered catastrophic floods that affected 33 million people and killed more than 1,700.


US appeals court scraps 9/11 mastermind’s plea deal

Updated 12 July 2025
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US appeals court scraps 9/11 mastermind’s plea deal

  • Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was regarded as one of bin Laden’s most trusted lieutenants
  • He had spent three years in secret CIA prisons before arriving at Guantanamo in 2006

WASHINGTON: A US appeals court on Friday scrapped 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s plea agreement that would have taken the death penalty off the table and helped conclude the long-running legal saga surrounding his case.

The agreement had sparked anger among some relatives of victims of the 2001 attacks, and then-US defense secretary Lloyd Austin moved to cancel it last year, saying that both they and the American public deserved to see the defendants stand trial.

Austin “acted within the bounds of his legal authority, and we decline to second-guess his judgment,” judges Patricia Millett and Neomi Rao wrote.

Plea deals with Mohammed as well as two alleged accomplices — Walid bin Attash and Mustafa Al-Hawsawi — were announced in late July last year.

The decision appeared to have moved their cases toward resolution after years of being bogged down in pre-trial maneuverings while the defendants remained held at the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba.

But Austin withdrew the agreements two days after they were announced, saying the decision should be up to him, given its significance.

He subsequently said that “the families of the victims, our service members and the American public deserve the opportunity to see military commission trials carried out in this case.”

A military judge ruled in November that the deals were valid and binding, but the government appealed that decision.

The appeals court judges on Friday vacated “the military judge’s order of November 6, 2024, preventing the secretary of defense’s withdrawal from the pretrial agreements.”

And they prohibited the military judge “from conducting hearings in which respondents would enter guilty pleas or take any other action pursuant to the withdrawn pretrial agreements.”

Much of the legal jousting surrounding the 9/11 defendants’ cases has focused on whether they could be tried fairly after having undergone torture at the hands of the CIA — a thorny issue that the plea agreements would have avoided.

Mohammed was regarded as one of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden’s most trusted lieutenants before his March 2003 capture in Pakistan. He then spent three years in secret CIA prisons before arriving at Guantanamo in 2006.

The trained engineer — who has said he masterminded the 9/11 attacks “from A to Z” — was involved in a string of major plots against the United States, where he attended university.

The United States used Guantanamo, an isolated naval base, to hold militants captured during the “War on Terror” that followed the September 11 attacks in a bid to keep the defendants from claiming rights under US law.

The facility held roughly 800 prisoners at its peak, but they have since slowly been sent to other countries. A small fraction of that number remains.


Pakistan discusses rice, meat exports with Malaysia amid push for export-led growth

Updated 12 July 2025
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Pakistan discusses rice, meat exports with Malaysia amid push for export-led growth

  • The two sides discussed enhanced cooperation during a meeting between Ishaq Dar and Anwar Ibrahim
  • Dar also addressed ASEAN Regional Forum where he called for global peace, justice and climate action

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan discussed expanding exports of rice, meat and other agricultural products with Malaysia on Friday during a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Malaysian Premier Anwar Ibrahim, according to an official statement.

Dar arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum, where he also interacted with other world leaders.

His three-day visit aims to deepen Pakistan’s engagement with ASEAN states and advance bilateral cooperation with key regional partners.

“Deputy Prime Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar called on Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim,” the foreign office said in a statement. “[The] DPM conveyed the good wishes of the Prime Minister of Pakistan for the leadership and people of Malaysia and reiterated Pakistan’s desire to further expand mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in all spheres.”

“Expanding cooperation in the halal sector, including potential for export of meat and agricultural products from Pakistan, including rice was also discussed at the occasion,” the statement added.

Pakistan has been actively working to diversify its export destinations in recent years, seeking to promote agricultural goods, halal-certified meat, textiles and services as part of its broader strategy for export-led economic growth.

The Malaysian leader reaffirmed his country’s commitment to strengthening longstanding ties with Pakistan.

He said he looked forward to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s forthcoming visit to Malaysia.

During his visit, Dar also addressed the ASEAN Regional Forum, where he called for global peace, justice and urgent climate action in the face of escalating environmental and geopolitical challenges.