India to wait for Pakistan to act on terrorists

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 22

India will wait and watch for further action after Pakistan reportedly released a consolidated list of terrorists and 88 terror groups whose bank accounts should be frozen and properties seized.

Pakistan's intention seems to be to present a consolidated list of previously announced measures against the terrorists and their organisations before the meeting of the global anti-money laundering body FATFA so that the country can escape being put into a blacklist.

While refraining from reacting, sources here pointed out that Pakistan has consistently claimed that many of these terrorist leaders are out of reach of its security agencies. These include leaders of the Emirates of Tanzim Qafqaz targeting Russia and Uyghurs of Islamic Freedom Movement aimed against China and India’s Dawood Ibrahim. As late as July last year, Pakistan Foreign Office had denied his presence while Islamabad’s last reply to FATFA in February did not include Dawood’s name.

If the list includes Noor Wali Mehsud, chief of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan chief, which targets Pakistan, it also has militant leaders who are engaged in peace talks with the US and have fought with it across the Afghan-Pak border with ample assistance from the ISI in both instances. Some leaders in the notification such as Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar, Jalaluddin Haqqani and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi are established protégés of the Pakistan Army.

The list also includes many militant organisations and their leaders who have conducted terrorist outrages against India including the 2008 Mumbai and 2019 Pulwama attacks. Cadres of any other groups in the past have provided logistical support to terrorists carrying out attacks in India.