Pak places Jamaat-ul-Daawa, FIF 'under watch'; No action against Jaish

Pakistan has issued a notification wherein Jamaat-ul-Da'awa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), the front organisations of Lashkar-e-Taiba terror outfit, have been placed 'under watch' but no new action has been taken against Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) which carried out a ghastly attack on CRPF convoy in Pulwama in Kashmir. Earlier, the Pakistani government had announced, on February 21, that the JuD and FIF would be banned - a statement that has been proved untrue by the latest notification issued by Pakistan's National Counter Terrorism Authority.

There has been mounting global pressure against Pakistan to cease providing support and a safe haven to terror outfits and terrorists on its soil, following the February 14 attack in Pulwama, which claimed the life of over 40 CRPF personnel. Pakistan had proscribed JeM on January 14, 2002 during the rule of General Pervez Musharraf but the outfit has been lately operating openly and it's chief Masood Azhar roaming about freely.

Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recently noted that the cash-strapped nation has not demonstrated "a proper understanding of the terror financing risks posed by" a number of groups, including JeM. FATF's International Cooperation Review Group has expressed dissatisfaction over the progress made by Pakistan to curb terror financing as per the milestones set for January 2019.

The FATF further "showed concern" regarding the Pakistani authorities' inability to prove why it considered eight proscribed entities, including the JeM, as low risk, in contrast to the high-risk view undertaken by FATF's Asia Pacific Joint Group and the ICRG. If Pakistan fails to meet with its commitments to the FATF in curbing terror financing, it may be put on the blacklist by September 2019, according to Dawn.

(With inputs from agencies.)