Terrorist incidents in India have come down since Pakistan’s inclusion in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) gray list in 2018. Indian intelligence officials gave this information to the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) on Friday. Officials said that Pakistan being on the gray list has reduced ‘hard targets’ in India and there has been a 75% drop in terrorist bases on Pakistani soil.
The officials also exposed the role of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. An audio clip of Lashkar’s top operative Sajid Mir was played at CTC. In it he can be heard instructing attackers at Chabad House, a Jewish outreach center where several Israeli civilians were killed.
‘Pakistan’s coming to the gray list is effective’
Senior Intelligence Bureau official Safi Rizvi, without naming Pakistan, said, “Getting into the FATF’s grey-listing and the UN’s identification of Jaish-e-Mohammed in 2001 and Lashkar-e-Taiba in 2005 has worked well.” Along with this, action was also taken on 9 terrorists who focused on India. These steps have reduced attacks on hard targets in Kashmir. Also, there has been a decline in cross-border terrorist incidents, terror funding related cases and terrorist activities between 2018 and 2021.
Terrorist bases increase by 50 percent
Rizvi expressed concern that even before the removal of Pakistan from the gray list, terrorist activities in India have increased. “The moment talks started that the gray listing (of Pakistan) was about to end, things started slipping back,” he said. Terrorist bases have increased by 50%. Now there can be more attacks on hard targets. At the same time many more problems can arise.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in this meeting that the main conspirators of the Mumbai terror attacks, including Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed, are still protected and not punished. He was clearly referring to terrorists like Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed, who have not been punished for their role in the Mumbai attacks. “One terrorist (Ajmal Kasab) was caught alive. The Supreme Court sentenced him, while the main perpetrators of the 26/11 attacks are still protected and not punished.
