‘Everyone Knows They Finance Terrorism’: NSA Ajit Doval Says Pakistan Under Pressure From FATF

As the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meets in Paris for its crucial plenary, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Monday (14 October) said that Pakistan was "under pressure" because of the proceedings of the global watchdog for terror financing and money laundering.

"One of the biggest pressure that has come on Pakistan today is because of the proceedings of the FATF. The FATF has created so much pressure... If you (NIA and other investigating agencies) could collect correct information and sustainable information, you can put it up in the international forum and platforms effectively," Doval said while speaking at the "Annual NIA Conference of Chiefs of ATS/STF".

He said everybody knew that Pakistan is "supporting and financing terrorism".

"But the point is that only evidence can be put in these (like FATF) forums. And it can be done by you because you understand the case and know how informatiin can be converted into evidence."

Doval asked the investigators across India to contribute, sayin the NIA can "convert it into the evidence".

Noting that "we are not targetting any particular country", Doval said facts were still facts.

"Our duty is to put the fact at right place and right forum. We should continue our efforts. So, depend on facts, preserve it and don't destroy them. Put these evidences in the forums nationally and internationally.

"Even if we say that Pakistan is sponsoring terrorism, we need evidence. So, don't destroy the evidence," said Doval.

He also mentioned that there was no harm to share information with the media about the Pakistani people involved in terrorism by giving their identities and their plan.

"Keeping those information in only state jackets only benefits Pakistan... So by weeding out such strategies, we can defeat terrorism."

Though the Asia Pacific Group (APG) sub-group has recommended that Islamabad be downgraded to the black list due to its poor compliance on measures to tackle terror funding, the FATF is most likely to keep it in the grey list.

The FATF is currently headed by China and has Malaysia, Turkey as well as Saudi Arabia as its members. China, Malaysia and Turkey are most likely to vote against a downgrade for Pakistan.

At the FATF meeting, it will require a minimum of three votes to prevent a blacklisting.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)