Pakistan’s latest move comes in the backdrop of Modi Govt’s decision to revoke article 370 from J&K
The Intelligence Bureau (IB), India’s internal intelligence agency, has informed the Government that terror promoting nation Pakistan has secretly released the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) Chief – Masood Azhar from judicial custody.
The IB has also informed that Pakistan has deployed additional troops along the border near Rajasthan. According to the inputs, Pakistan is planning a terror attack in Sialkot-Jammu and Rajasthan in response to the recent abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir.
The message has been conveyed to the respective Border Security Force and the army field formations in Jammu and Rajasthan sectors have been asked to prepare for unforeseen disruptions from Pakistan.
Separately, the National Security Advisor of India – Ajit Doval told media on Saturday, i.e., September 7, 2019 that Pakistan is trying to create trouble and some 230 terrorists have been spotted across the border.
In May 2019, the United Nations Security Council (U.N.S.C.) had designated Masood Azhar as global terrorist. For the records, Masood was the mastermind behind several terrorist attacks including the 2016 attacks at the IAF base in Pathankot, Punjab, and the Indian Army Brigade HQ in Uri in Jammu & Kashmir. Recently, he also planned the heinous Pulwama attack which killed more than 40 Central Reserve police Forces (CRPF) personnel.
Besides, the Prime Minister of Pakistan – Imran Khan had said on Friday, i.e., September 6, 2019 that Pakistan will give fullest possible response to India’s latest move in Jammu and Kashmir. Prior to this, he had also said that global community would be responsible if the war broke out between India and Pakistan as they have refrained from intervening in the Jammu & Kashmir matter.
Post this, fearing blacklisting by Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Pakistan PM had also mentioned that Pakistan would not be the first to start the war. Pakistan is struggling to avoid the blacklisting by FATF, whose review is due in October 2019. It was put in the ‘Grey List’ in June 2018 and was told to act upon FATF’s 27-point action plan. A review was conducted in February 2019 where it failed to convince the members to get removed from ‘Grey List’. Besides, in August 2019, the Asia Pacific Group (APG) of FATF blacklisted Pakistan as the latter failed to take effective measures to curb terror financing in the country.
Pakistan is being closely monitored by FATF for its proximity to terror groups such as Lashkar -E- Taiba (LeT) and Jaish -E- Mohammad (JeM).
In order to show that it is fighting against terrorism, it did make few fake arrests including the Chief of JeM – Masood Azhar, the Chief of LeT – Hafiz Saeed and other members of terror groups, viz. Jamat-ud-Dawah (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF). However, as per FATF, these arrests were apprehended under its Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Act and very few under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
