As terror attacks fall, worries over financing remain
GUJRANWALA, Pakistan — Terror attacks in Pakistan plummeted by more than 85% over the past decade. It’s a welcome statistic for the country, but one that risks being overshadowed by international concern over its efforts to curb terror funding and lingering militant activity that could test any future peace agreement in neighboring Afghanistan.
The tally, put together by Pakistani think tanks, found terror attacks dropped from nearly 2,000 in 2009 to fewer than 250 in 2019, a steady decline that underscores the longhaul nature of fighting terror.
But an international watchdog group in Paris said in October that Pakistan was not doing enough to stop terror financing. The group meets next month to decide whether the country should be downgraded from a “gray” status to “black,” alongside Iran and North Korea, a step that could pose a challenge to Pakistan’s economy.
Pakistan’s militant groups are often interlinked with those across the border in Afghanistan, so its progress at reining in terror is critical, particularly as Washington seeks to secure a deal with the Afghan Taliban to bring an end to the 18year war, America’s longest military engagement.
“The sharp decrease in terrorist violence, which we began to see in 2014, is nothing short of remarkable,” said Michael Kugelman, Asia Program Deputy Director at the Washingtonbased Wilson Center. But, he cautioned, “Pakistan is certainly not out of the woods yet.”
Last year, the Financial Action Task Force, the watchdog that monitors terror financing, said Pakistan had fully implemented only one item from a list of 40 measures to curb terror financing and money laundering. The 39 other measures were either partially implemented or in some cases overlooked entirely.
If Pakistan is blacklisted, every financial transaction would be closely scrutinized, and doing business with the country would become costly and cumbersome. Pakistani officials say they are working to meet the task force’s demands.
Pakistan’s military and intelligence have long been accused by Washington, as well as by Pakistan’s neighbors, of supporting some militants while attacking others. Over the past two decades, successive U.S. administrations have pressed Islamabad to crack down on terror.
Pakistan points to its more than 4,000 military casualties since the 2001 start of the war on terror — higher than the U.S. and NATO deaths combined — as proof of its commitment.