Pakistan Must End Support To Terror Groups: US Senator

Pakistan must end support to the Taliban and other terror groups, a top American senator said a day after meeting Pakistani leadership in Islamabad. “Pakistan has an important role to play in stabilising Afghanistan, engaging in robust counterterrorism efforts and strengthening the global economy,” said Senator Maggie Hassan said on Friday.

“It was particularly helpful to discuss with key Pakistani leaders what more can be done to pre-empt terrorist attacks and prevent the spread of terrorist ideology,” she said.

“Moreover, it was important for us to communicate directly to Pakistan’s senior leadership that they must end support to the Taliban and other terrorist groups. In addition, amid escalating tensions in Kashmir, it’s critical that we find ways to help de-escalate the situation on both sides,” Hassan added.

Hassan and Hollen also visited Pakistani-occupied Kashmir amid escalating tensions with India to observe conditions on the ground and push for a de-escalation of the situation, including calling on India to end its curfew, release prisoners, and restore communications, a media release said.

According to a report released by the Asia Pacific Group (APG) on Saturday, chances are high that Pakistan will be retained on the ‘grey list’ as the country has complied with just one the 40 recommendations set by the global anti-money laundering watchdog at the time of the country’s inclusion in the list.

The Pakistani delegation, led by Minister for Economic Affairs Division Hammad Azhar, is scheduled to leave for France on October 13 as Pakistan’s case will be taken up on October 14 and 15, the Dawn reported.

The Pakistani authorities have insisted that they made a lot of progress during the past year.

According to the Pakistani daily, a report finalised by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has said that the comprehensive guideline developed by the Commission has helped financial institutions to generate 219 Suspicious Transactions Reports (STRs) in one year, as compared to 13 STRs in eight years.

To align itself with the FATF’s standards and its 40 recommendations, the Commission developed a set of regulations in June 2018.