Islamabad: In an apparent attempt to avoid blacklisting by Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Pakistan has issued a fresh notification proscribing 88 chiefs and members of terrorist groups, including 1993 Mumbai blasts mastermind Dawood Ibrahim and LeT commander and key 26/11 accused Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, in compliance with the new list issued by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) recently.
Significantly, the 2020 statutory notification, issued on August 18, mentioned Dawood’s White House address in Karachi in what Indian officials see as the first acknowledgment by Islamabad that the 1993 Mumbai blasts mastermind is in Pakistan. While copies of similar notifications in 2015 and 2019 also mentioned the same address, Indian government sources said these statutory resolutions “appeared to be back-dated”.
“If these were true, then it would have been reflected in FATF records,” said a source, adding Lakhvi and Dawood had never been mentioned by Pakistan in any official document till the 2020 statutory resolution. Lakhvi, the “operational commander” of the 26/11 attacks, has been held previously only to be released due to indifferent court processes in Pakistan where judges and prosecutors have changed frequently.
Pak terms it a routine matter
In an official statement, Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs said the statutory regulatory orders (SROs) reflect the current status of the UN Taliban and ISIL (Da’esh) and AQ Sanctions list and are a “routine matter”. Looking to downplay the impression that Dawood’s addresses are acceptance of his presence in Pakistan, the statement said reports about Pakistan imposing new sanctions measures are incorrect and “as to Pakistan admitting to the presence of certain listed individuals on its territory, based on the information contained in the SRO, is baseless and misleading”.
In the Pakistan notification, Dawood’s details are provided under serial no. QDi.135 - as in the UNSC list of sanctions - and gives out all his details including his passport numbers, and address in Clifton, Karachi. The entry is the same as the UNSC list, which has his aliases, residential address in Karachi (Pakistan) and his passport details (he has 9 Indian passports and 5 Pakistan passports). In all 5 Pakistani passports, the entry says “misuse” - indicating that Pakistan has not provided them through official means.
“As of August 18, 2020, the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee has approved the entries specified below to its List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 2368 (2018) adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,” stated the SRO numbered 741(I)/2020, issued by the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Sources in New Delhi, however, pointed out that this will not mean much since he has not been put on Pakistan’s national terror list - the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA-Schedule IV, Proscribed Persons) List. Sources said Islamabad has reproduced the UNSC list, hoping to get past the FATF in September. Pakistan has been under scrutiny of the FATF, the global terrorist financing watchdog, for the last two years, and has so far fulfilled only half of the 27-point action plan of the FATF.
