ISLAMABAD: Pakistan managed to avoid being placed on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) global terrorism-financing watch list on Wednesday.
But the episode has triggered debate at home on how to deal with groups that have become a foreign-policy liability for the state.
Political analyst Dr. Rasul Bakhsh Rais said Islamabad has no other option but to act against banned groups and go after their sources of funding to satisfy the international community.
The government “must take cogent measures to deoxygenate proscribed outfits,” he told Arab News. “It’s also in the interest of Pakistan to crack down against extremist outfits.”
But Tahir Malik, who teaches international relations at a public university, said one should not expect the government “to take extreme measures against any outfit that enjoys public sympathy” when “the ruling party has to contest general elections within a few months.”
He termed the three-month FATF reprieve a boost for the ruling party at a time when it is confronted by various political and economic crises.
Foreign Minister Khawaja Mohammed Asif said FATF members failed to reach a consensus regarding putting Pakistan on the watch list.
The draft resolution to place Pakistan on the list was led by the US, with the support of the UK, France and Germany. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal described the FATF motion as a US pressure tactic.
Ali Sarwar Naqvi, executive director of the Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS), told Arab News that the FATF could not act against Pakistan because “there wasn’t enough evidence” against it.
“It’s an allegation by some countries” that could not furnish supporting “evidence and facts,” so “other countries did not agree with” their contention, he said.
Pakistan’s narrow escape at FATF meeting triggers debate at home
Pakistan’s narrow escape at FATF meeting triggers debate at home
Pakistan says ‘zero-tolerance’ for threats as army chief reviews battle readiness in Lahore
- Field Marshal Asim Munir reaffirms resolve to safeguard Pakistan’s territorial integrity and internal stability
- He witnesses a specialized field training exercise involving the latest technologies and interacts with soldiers
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military said on Thursday it has a “zero-tolerance” stance toward threats to national security, as the country’s chief of army staff (COAS) visited the key eastern city of Lahore, met officials and soldiers and was briefed on operational preparedness.
Lahore lies close to Pakistan’s eastern border with India and is home to key military installations, making it strategically significant during periods of heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors. In May last year, during a four-day military conflict with India, Pakistani authorities said they shot down numerous Indian drones around major cities including Lahore, underscoring the city’s strategic vulnerability and importance.
Field Marshal Asim Munir, the army chief and chief of defense forces (CDF), witnessed a specialized field training exercise involving the latest technologies, reflecting the army’s push to adapt to future battlefield dynamics and enhance combat efficiency, the military’s media wing said.
“During his address with the officers, the COAS & CDF emphasized upon Pakistan Army’s zero-tolerance policy towards any threat to national security, reaffirming the institution’s unwavering resolve to confront multifaceted challenges with focus, professionalism and determination,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
Reiterating the army’s core mission, he noted that the armed forces of Pakistan “remain steadfast in safeguarding the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and internal stability, while fostering a culture of excellence, discipline and selfless national service.”
Munir also inspected sports and recreational facilities for troops and visited a high-care medical center at the Combined Military Hospital in the city, praising staff for establishing a state-of-the-art healthcare facility, the ISPR added.
The visit, which included briefings on training standards and ongoing initiatives to boost operational capability, came as Pakistan continues to emphasize readiness along its eastern flank and broader defense modernization.
