November 21, 2024

Are you surprised that Pakistan has denied the existence of terror camps in places mapped out by India? Are you amused that Pakistan has said that the evidence provided by India about the involvement of JeM in the Pulwama attack is not sufficient? Knowing how Pakistan regularly reacts to such things, you shouldn’t be. Instead, you should be angry.

Pakistan has consistently denied that it supports terrorism. It has said that there are no terror camps on its soil. It has also denied that the ISI trains jihadis and facilitates their illegal entry into India. With the world’s attention focused on what the country does now that India has brought the issue in the limelight, no one can expect Pakistan to acknowledge something it has denied in the past.

No one, least of all India, is being fooled by the alleged crackdown on terror organizations in Pakistan. Some operatives have been taken into protective custody but their operations continue unhindered. Jihadis are still being trained, only the camps have been shifted. The US has firmly told Pakistan that it needs to do much more to control terrorists existing on its soil. Then there is the FATF sword hanging over Pakistan’s neck. If it doesn’t act decisively against JeM and others, there is a huge chance that it will be greylisted by FATF and it will complicate matters for the country that is facing huge financial crisis.

But will Pakistan comply with FATF standards? There is little likelihood of that as long as the military establishment calls the shots. Pakistan knows it is hurting India by carrying out the proxy war through trained jihadis. Any changes it will make to satisfy FATF inspectors will largely be cosmetic and it will continue to support the terrorists on the sly. Hence, the FATF needs to make its inspection an ongoing process and put Pakistan on the blacklist if any deviation is found.

pic courtesy:thelondonpost.net