The most recent USA country report is basically another bombshell to be used in F A T F against Pakistan whereas it should have not issued such a biased report when there’s already a proceeding going on against Pakistan in FATF. We have been exploited by USA every time that we stand in this worst situation at this point of history. We made a blunder to jump into Afghan Jihad War against Soviet Union upon USA’s call. This gulped down our all factions of society because of the strong pro Jihad propaganda by USA. I got a chance to meet these Jihadis from Pakistan and all over the world when I was travelling undercover through Afghanistan and passed through rugged mountains during the war of Afghan Taliban vs Northern Alliance.
I noticed there young and old Pakistanis waiting to go to fight on advance positions. Although they were not even familiar with the modern weapons and technology, but they were motivated enough to get killed come what may as per their brain washing. It was the USA which converted their immature mindsets into Jehadi mentality in order to use them against Soviet Union. Now the same Jihadis are running some of the Madrassas that preach nothing violence against humanity which is contrary to the principles of Islam. This Jihadism was America’s own creation because of which, we are suffering today. Unfortunately, today we are dragged in the FATF because as per America’s will, we extended support to these Jihadis who have now turned into monsters post Afghan war.
It is merely an injustice to Pakistan for being dragged before FATF like a criminal whereas in actuality, it was President Bush who should have been facing trial as war criminal for the creation of Jihadists and mass killing in Afghanistan. Hence, I had been persistently advocating to the government and to the world that USA will not let Pakistan come out of the FATF’S grey list and will continue to pressurise FATF to keep Pakistan in grey list. This latest country report by the USA will also be now placed before FATF as yet another fake evidence. We are only being punished by the USA because of our friendship with China, Pak China corridors & our stance against India under RSS. We are also suffering because of the failure of Afghan-US dialogue which is wrongly attributed towards us as we want to see peaceful Afghanistan for which Pakistan is extending its full support to the USA in their dialogue between USA and Afghan Taliban. The US State Department’s Country Report on Terrorism 2018 has come up with disappointment for Pakistan as it is highly biased and illogical wherein the real situation on the ground and the supreme sacrifices of Pakistani troops and civilians rendered in war against terrorism are absolutely ignored.
Despite of the apparent cordial meeting between US Donald Trump and Prime Minster Imran Khan on the United Nations General Assembly forum, Pakistan was expecting better and improved relations with USA whereas USA released an anti-Pak report instead which has come up as a shocking development for every Pakistani. A large number of Pakistanis feel that PM Modi was not courageous enough to change the status of Kashmir against the UN resolution but within days of his return from the White House, USA he scraped the legal status of Kashmir whereas we find no particular efforts from USA Govt to force India to lift curfew by restoring the original legal status of IOK.
Basically, we have now become the victim of 5th generation warfare and the major factor is economy which is being hit through FATF to cripple our Economic growth as I strongly believe that FATF drama has been engineered only to cripple our growing economy & to block our overseas investments. In reality, the steady growth of economy is being further crippled by FATF & IMF and this Economic destabilisation is only due to the fact that we always bow before the IMF which is successfully ensuring to add more burden on common people of our country with non-stop price hike and consecutive increase in prices of Petroleum products. I am stating it on record that India will continue to feed USA negatively on Pak on fabricated plots, and Pakistan will continue to face the negative hammering from White House and the demand of do more syndrome will never come to end. The people of Pakistan has the right to ask the USA administration as to why has the USA turned blind eye towards the brutalities and religious extremist acts of Indian ruling party BJP’s extremist wing RSS under PM Modi which is involved in terrorist activities against minorities across India particularly Kashmir. The US State Department recent Report clearly indicates that it is an anti-Pakistan move by US to please India.
The report states “Pakistan did not take sufficient action against externally focused groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), which continued to operate, train, organise, and fundraise in Pakistan. The Pakistani government pledged support for political reconciliation between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban but did not restrict the Afghan Taliban and HQN from operating in Pakistan and threatening US and Afghan forces in Afghanistan. This is factually wrong as these two networks are also the byproducts of Afghan war, including HQN and were nourished by American funding spent in Afghan -war. These two Pak networks were banned by me as Interior Minister. In June 2018, the FATF placed Pakistan on its list of jurisdictions with strategic deficiencies (the “grey list”) for deficiencies in its AML/CFT regimes, including the failure to implement UN sanctions related to designated entities.” The careful examination of the above allegations shows that the allegations are nothing but an attempt to re-enforce the old blame & replication of demand of USA “to do more”. I, in my article ‘Do more Pakistan’ syndromes of USA on August 20, 2017, stated that do more syndrome by President Donald Trump is not going to stop this demand as there is continuity of re-enforcement of negativity against Pakistan by India in theWhite House and other allied institutions of USA. These organisation in question earlier fought against Russiawith the total financial and armed support of USA. In fact, US itself was responsible for the creation& funding of all these Jihadi organisations in Pakistan and US owes an explanation to the world as to how and from where these jihadi organisations were supported and financed with full money trail.
Can USA present the money trail of wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Cuba and many others countries CIA dirty operation before questioning Pakistan in FATF? Will the American White House make the details of the meeting between William J. Casey Director CIA, Gen Ziaul Haq and Gen Akhter Abdur Rehman public which was held before launching Afghanwar at a secret location? Also what mode of funding was created to finance Afghan war and who were the ones who got benefited fromAfghan - Jihad dollars via a beach city of France namely Marseille? The track of Afghan Jihad money will lead the investigators directly to Switzerland and many from USA & Pakistan will be in great trouble. WillUSA unveil the details of expenditure of these wars in supporting jihadists as well as the creation of these organisations, including Haqqani network and other splinter groups, including Northern alliance during and after Afghan war? I am sure Victor Bout a famous Russian low flying captain will speak one day after his release from USA jail as to who was his master that made him drop the arms in Afghanistan and many other war ridden countries in Africa. I will write on it later sometimes. I really feel bad that USA used Pakistan in war on terror and now it is punishing us at this point of timewhich is not understandable. The then Secretory State Hillary Clinton had already accepted that USA funded Taliban and even Al-Qaeda. I am sure that the government of Pakistan will ask FATF to summon the former Secretaries of State and the then former US Presidents to justify and confirm the authenticity of the statement carried out by the two secretary of states.
The president ordering war through Jihadists in Afghanistan against Russia needs to justify as to what means were used to finance these Jihadists in Afghanistan. The US State Department’s Country Report on Terrorism 2018 is contrary to the facts inwhich the real situation on the ground and the supreme sacrifices of Pakistani troops and civilians rendered in war against terrorism are ignored. As a matter of fact, no country had done more than Pakistan to curb terrorism and no country had suffered as much as Pakistan, both in terms of loss of human lives and damage to infrastructure, in the war against terrorismand extremism. Pakistani Forces in daring operations against terrorism have uprooted al- Qaeda and other terrorist organisations from the country and have successfully dismantled terrorist network which are being supported by neighbouring countries to create instability in Pakistan. Alongwith sacrifices ofmore than 70,000 of its troops and civilians, Pakistan has been taking numerous legal and administrative measures against terrorism and all parties above their political differences sat together and formulated National Action Plan (NAP) to curb terrorismfrom its roots. US should well realise that rather Pakistan, India is a hub of terrorists and has been sending its terrorist to Pakistanwhich is evident fromthe arrest of Kulbhushan Yadav who is still in the custody of Pakistan. He had confessed that he was RAW operator since 2013 end and ever since he has been directing various activities in Balochistan and Karachi at the behest of RAW and deteriorating law and order situation in Karachi, Pakistan.
This is no secret that India’s Intelligence Agency Research and AnalysisWing (RAW) isworking in collaboration with the Afghanistan’s Intelligence Agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS), for creating instability and hostility in Balochistan and Fata, yet no action against India has been initiated by US and United Nations. US, the international community and particularly the Financial Action Task Force not to fall prey to Indian propaganda against Pakistan. The trend and the anti- Pakistan signals demonstrated in the report clearly show that FATF is not going to take Pakistan out of the grey list unless Pakistan embarrass FATF in its discriminationwith Pakistan and Pakistan will have to do this for its survival in the economic world. The continuity of Pakistan in grey list will bring huge financial problems for Pakistan which is already passing through financial crisis.
I hope the Government of Pakistan will take some sensible, pragmatic and evidence based measures before the FATF with the help of China which has already warned member countries not to politicise FATF and not use the forum against Pakistan. China has clearly stated, “China does not want the FATF to be politicised by any single country. There are some countries which want to include Pakistan in the blacklist as they have political designs with ulterior motives against Pakistan. Note: Opinions expressed are solely my own and not necessarily to reflect the views or opinions ofmy party.
The writer is former interior minister of Pakistan, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Chairman of Think Tank “Global Eye”. He can be reached at: rmalik1212 gmail.com , Twitter Senrehmanmalik