Mumbai: Pakistan should stop militant groups from working on its soil and prosecute top Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives along with its leader Hafiz Saeed, the US has said that the Financial Action Task Force is vital to blacklist the country Before the verdict.
Alice Wells, head of the US State Department’s South and Central Asian Bureau, also welcomed the arrest of the top four leaders of Lashkar-e-Taiba / Jamaat-ud-Dawa in Pakistan.
Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies on Thursday arrested the “top four leaders” of the banned LeT / JuD on charges of financing terrorism.
The top four terrorists arrested have been identified as Professor Zafar Iqbal, Yahya Aziz, Muhammad Ashraf and Abdul Salam.
“As stated by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan should, for its future, prevent terrorist groups from working on its soil,” Welling tweeted.
He said, “We welcome the news that Pakistan has arrested 4 #LeT leaders. The victims of the vicious attacks of Lashkar are now worth watching these individuals prosecute along with Lashkar leader Hafiz Saeed.”
Pakistan has a long history of catching and releasing active terrorists from its soil.
Wells’s comment came as the FATF prepared to give its decision on the status of the country’s ‘grey list’.
Pakistan was placed on the grey list by the Paris-based watchdog in June last year and given a plan of action to complete it by October 2019, or risk being blacklisted with Iran and North Korea.
Tensions between the two countries have increased since the repeal of Article 370 of the Constitution of India to repeal the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August.
Pakistan’s sharp reactions came to light from India’s decision, which curtailed diplomatic relations and expelled the Indian ambassador.
Pakistan is trying to internationalize the Kashmir issue after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, but New Delhi has claimed repeal of Section 370.
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