Pakistan govt drafting bill to permanently ban JUD
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government is working on a draft bill to permanently ban the Jamaat-uddawa and other terror groups and individuals on the interior ministry watch list, local media reported on Sunday.
The bill will look to replace the presidential ordinance that amended the Anti-terrorism Act of 1997 to include entities listed by the UN Security Council as proscribed groups.
The Daily Dawn newspaper, citing sources in the law ministry, reported the proposed draft bill to amend the act was likely to be tabled in the upcoming session of the National Assembly, scheduled to commence on April 9.
The law ministry was involved in the process for the purpose of vetting the proposed draft bill. The report said the country’s powerful military establishment was also on board.
Special assistant to the prime minister Zafarullah Khan was quoted as saying that the amendment to the act would not introduce anything new and would basically ensure compliance of Security Council resolutions.
The report said the government decided to prepare the draft bill as part of its damage-control campaign after the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) approved a nomination proposal tabled jointly by the US, the UK, France and Germany to place Pakistan on the international watchdog’s money-laundering and terror-financing grey list in February.
Pakistan is also said to be preparing a consolidated database of known terrorists and terror organisations, which will be accessible to financial institutions and law enforcement agencies to strengthen the regime against money laundering and terror financing.