Pakistan Rubbishes Reports of Having Admitted to Dawood’s Presence

Islamabad has imposed tough financial curbs on 88 banned terror groups and their leaders including Dawood Ibrahim.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry on Sunday, 23 August, dismissed media reports which claimed that Islamabad had, in fact, admitted to Dawood Ibrahim’s presence in Pakistan, reported The Indian Express.

WHAT DID PAKISTAN SAY?

In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, Pakistan referred to the two notifications, dated 18 August 2020, that announced sanctions against 88, including Dawood Ibrahim, and said:

“The SROs issued reflect information contained in the list entry of UN-designated individuals/entities. The reports in certain sections of the media about Pakistan imposing new sanctions measures, through these SROs, are not factual. Similarly, the assertions made by some sections of the Indian media, as to Pakistan admitting to the presence of certain listed individuals on its territory, based on the information contained in the SRO, are baseless and misleading,”   

Pakistan also stated that the lists contain “names of individuals and entities designated under the two sanction regimes established pursuant to the UN Security Council resolutions”. and that similar SROs have been issued by them in the past as well, as per statutory requirements to meet international obligations, reported The Indian Express.

Also, the statement added:

“It is once again reiterated that the information contained in the SRO is reproduced as per the details in the list entry of the individuals/entities designated under the two sanctions regime, which is publicly available, and contains names of individuals who despite their confirmed deceased status still continue to be on the sanctions list.”   

BACKGROUND

The Pakistan government has imposed tough financial curbs on 88 banned terror groups and their leaders including the 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed, Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

According to PTI, the Pakistan government issued two notifications on 18 August, which announced that sanctions had been imposed on key figures of terror outfits.

The report also added that Pakistan has issued these sanctions in a bid to get out of the grey list of Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

(With inputs from The Indian Express and PTI.)