Pakistan’s FATF listing helped reduce cross-border terror, hints Gen Naravane

Army Chief General M M Naravane on Thursday said there has been a decline in cross-border terrorism, making an indirect reference to terror financing watchdog FATF’s recommendation that Pakistan should remain in the ‘Grey List’ for its failure to check terror funding.

The army chief reiterated that incidents of terror in Jammu and Kashmir too had decreased and the Indian Army was continuing its pressure on various terror groups that it had identified.

“There are at least 15-20 terrorist camps inside Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir where there are around 250-350 terrorists at any given time and numbers may fluctuate,” General Naravane told news agency PTI.

Speaking about the external dimension which has contributed to the decrease in cross-border terrorism, the army chief said, “If the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) comes down heavily on them, they may have to do a rethink on their rhetoric and activities. FATF is a factor in the reduction of terror activities in the Kashmir valley.”

On the effect of the ongoing Financial Action Task Force plenary in Paris on Pakistan, the army chief said, China has also realized that they cannot continue to back their all-weather friend (Pakistan) all the time.

“We have been getting inputs. We have been able to foil (Pakistan Army’s) BAT action attempts even before they have been able to launch them,” General Naravane said.

A sub-group of the global terror financing watchdog FATF on Tuesday had recommended continuation of Pakistan in the ‘Grey List’ for its failure to check terror funding in and around its territory. Pakistan needs about 15 to 16 votes to move out of the ‘Grey List’ and a minimum of three votes to avoid being blacklisted by the watchdog.

The FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to fight money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the global financial system. The FATF currently comprises 36 members with voting powers and two regional organisations, representing most of the major financial centres across the world.

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