The watchlist

The discussion about Pakistan’s imminent inclusion in FATF watchlist comes as yet another set back to the terror-stricken country. No matter how one looks at it, for the primed Pakistanis the disquiet over the far-reaching repercussions of such an event are ever escalating. The thing is that most of ordinary people do not even know or bother to know about terror financing, its proliferation and the various means of its execution. Several internationally-recognised terror groups betray the people under the guise of charitable organisations.

The irony of this is that the people inadvertently end up contributing to these organisations with their zakat and fidya. A recourse to the usual practice of condemning foreign intervention in tainting Pakistan’s image is not going to help at all times. It is time for our government and institutions to not just rely on putting in an appearance of innocuousness, but to also cope with the rogue elements in letter and spirit. An important step in this regard would be to caution the people against consciously or unconsciously subscribing to different satellites of the covert terror organisations working in the country.

Malik Mohammad Akram Ali

Lahore