Pakistan will now have to make a tough choice between stirring the Kashmir issue by sponsoring terror on Indian soil and mending its way to get out of the Grey List of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Experts talking on anonymity with the EurAsian Times stated that even one attack in Jammu and Kashmir could land Pakistan in trouble with the FATF and even its key allies like China may not be of any help.
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One more mischievous deed from a notorious Pakistan can make its stay on the grey list longer or could even push Pakistan to find itself on the blacklist of the FATF, experts talking to the EurAsian Times stated. Now from here, what Pakistan chooses will determine the economic future of the nation as the financial condition of Islamabad is on the brink.
Can a bankrupt Pakistan afford to stir the Kashmir pot?
Pakistan has been allegedly sponsoring terror attacks one after the other in Kashmir and has caused heavy casualties on the Indian security forces.
The question that now arises is that can Pakistan still meddle in Kashmir or on the Indian soil when FATF is closely monitoring all its actions and reactions. If Pakistan ignores the need to have a structured campaign in order to fall in line with the FATF norms then Pakistan will surely be made to pay heavily at the next FATF plenary session.
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Kashmir has been a bone of discontent between India and Pakistan ever since the partition of India in 1947. Since then Pakistan has tried every trick in the book to destabilise the Kashmir valley.
Can Pakistan now really take that chance of going to the FATF blacklist? One more attack on India that proves Pakistan’s involvement will bring down all hopes of getting out of the grey list for Pakistan.
How did Pakistan make it to the grey list?
Much to the dislike of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, in June 2018 the Paris based Financial Action Task Force put Pakistan on the grey list accusing it of money laundering and sponsoring terrorism.
When the UK, the US and India launched a diplomatic offensive against Pakistan at the 36 membered FATF, not many countries could show the spine to back Pakistan and save it from falling on the grey list. The only support Pakistan could find was in Turkey that too in vain.
Since then Pakistan has been showing the world that it’s acting against terror rather than supporting it and image rebuilding has been one of the priorities of Pakistan. Surely, this priority cannot go hand in hand with the intentions to keep Kashmir conflict alive in order to irk and bleed India.
What next for Pakistan?
A strong diplomatic campaign is what Pakistan needs now so as to garner enough support at the FATF to pull out of the grey list. Pakistan officials had recently attended a summit of the Asia Pacific Group of the FATF in China. At the APG meet, Pakistan officials presented a firm front to prove its efforts to pull back from terror funding.
Now for the FATF plenary session due in October, Pakistan has very little time to mend its ways and disown the tag of being a nation-state responsible for money laundering and terror funding. Pakistan will have to choose between its economy and its interests in Kashmir and pray that there is no terror attack in the valley where Islamabad’s connection, overt or covert is unmasked.
