Did Pakistan Provided Wrong Information to FATF?
NEW DELHI, Feb 22: Pakistan is believed to have misled the global terror watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) about the actions taken in that country to counter terrorism after spotting the Hizbul Mujahideen chief and US-designated global terrorist Syed Salahuddin in a funeral gathering in Rawalpindi.
Salahuddin was spotted leading the funeral prayers of one of India’s most-wanted terrorists, Bashir Ahmad Peer, who was killed in Pakistan recently. A video of Bashir Ahmad Peer’s funeral is being widely shared on social media where Syed Salahuddin can be seen surrounded by Pakistani soldiers.
According to reports, the funeral took place in a secure location in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi. In the viral footage, Salahuddin can be heard repeating a pledge to destroy India, with several Pakistani soldiers standing for his protection and the crowd cheering for him.
The shocking video comes months after the FATF removed Pakistan from its “grey list” after more than four years after being assured of concrete steps to check terrorism. The neighbouring country is still under scanner of the global terrorism watchdog.
The presence of the world’s most-wanted terrorist (Syed Salahuddin) on its soil clearly states that Pakistan provided FATF with wrong information about the 34 action plans given to it to strengthen its ability to counter terrorism.
Bashir Ahmad Peer was designated a terrorist by India on October 4, 2022 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for his role in terror activities in the country. Bashir Ahmad was reportedly involved in uniting terrorists and the expansion of Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and other Pakistan-based terrorist organisations.
According to a notification issued by the Union Home Ministry, Bashir Ahmad Peer was responsible for providing logistics to Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists, especially for infiltration into Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir. He coordinated with other terrorist groups for terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
(Manas Dasgupta)
