PAKISTAN ON NOTICE YET AGAIN

The world is beginning to take note of the double-and triple-dealing of Pakistan on fighting terror. All along while helping itself to the American billions in the name of combating the Taliban and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan, it has double-crossed the US, sheltering and even instigating attacks against the US and Afghani targets in that godforsaken country. India, particularly, is a huge victim of Pakistani-sponsored terror attacks, often in Afghanistan, where it is doing commendable welfare work, but mostly in India itself. The story of terrorism in Kashmir is essentially the story of the ISI-organised mayhem in the Valley. Therefore, the recent notice by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to Pakistan to stop the misuse of its financial network for support to the Terror Inc ought to be welcome. A plenary meeting of the FATF last week decided to give Pakistan time till June when a final decision is expected after fuller scrutiny whether Pakistan’s State Bank and other financial institutions had stopped funneling funds to terrorists. Notably, a few weeks ago, a Pakistani bank in the US was told to cease operations after the intelligence agencies noticed that it was used for funding terrorist outfits through various NGOs which were actually their over-ground sponsors. In the case of the FATF notice, what is important is that Pakistan had been given such a notice three years ago as well. At that time, it had managed to wriggle out of a sticky situation by pretending to have acted against the terrorist organisations. The fact that the Hafiz Saeed terrorist network was still very much in business, as was the Taliban and the Haqaani networks in Afghanistan, underlined the futility of withdrawing Pakistan from the FATF grey list. However, what seems to be different this time is that President Donald Trump has minced no words in warning Pakistan that the American dollars will cease flowing unless it mends its ways. Without doubt, the FATF notice to Pakistan has come at the prodding of the US. With China and Russia as other key members, Pakistan will be mistaken if it believes that as in 2015 it can wangle to get off the grey list. What is significant is that China did not oppose the notice to Pakistan, maintaining a neutral stance while Russia supported the notice. Though following the Trump warning, Pakistan has taken some cosmetic action against Hafiz Saeed and, earlier, in order to humour the Americans, had arranged to have a long-standing USCanadian couple held hostage in Afghanistan freed from its captors, this time round unless Pakistan acts, it might find its international financial networks under greater and painful scrutiny. That is the least the world community can do to force this rogue State controlled by the Rawalpindi GHQ to suspend its evil operations. Failure of Pakistan to change its conduct can make its borrowing from multilateral financial bodies such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank further costlier. Even Pakistan’s private sector will face heat as the nation’s credit ratings will take a hit and lenders will be reluctant to advance money easily.

On its part, India should not bank much on the FATF notice — remember Pakistan is so deeply enmeshed in playing the terrorist game that in some way it will not abandon it whatever stratagems it might employ to hoodwink the Americans. It needs the American money, but it believes its strategic interests are crucially dependent on controlling the terrorist outfits for pushing its anti-India agenda. The continued violence in Kashmir is proof that far from letting up on the terror tap, Pakistan continues to export jihadis to the Valley. The fact is that India has to fend for itself in Kashmir and elsewhere wherever it faces terrorist menace. The Americans are getting weary of being double-crossed by Pakistan in Afghanistan which they will like to leave as soon as there is a modicum of normalcy there. While the FATF move against Pakistan may help, it cannot be the basis of a resolution of the Indo-Pak disputes. Hopefully, a new strand in the bilateral relations will be the proposed visit to New Delhi later next month when Pakistan’s commerce minister Pervaiz Malik is set to participate in the informal WTO ministerial meeting. Contacts established at this level between ministers of the two countries can hopefully help break the ice. It is notable that the national security advisers of the two countries have met on a couple of occasions in a neutral venue. It is in mutual interest that India and Pakistan start pulling back from the brink. Neither country can stand to gain from the continued war-like situation.