Tick-tock, tick-tock…

Little is heard these days of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in whose advisory hands much rests in the coming months. It will be recalled that Pakistan is due to be ‘grey-listed’ for being a country that has not done enough to combat terrorism and the means by which terrorists finance themselves. Although the FATF has no remit in terms of a purview over the risks posed by the activities of Pakistani companies engaging in trade involving nuclear materials; it cannot fail to have noted the listing of seven Pakistani companies accused of such by the US which sees such activity as a potential threat. Also poised in the sidelines and taking notes will be the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership of which Pakistan has long aspired to. The NSG is a ‘club’ of countries allowed to trade fissile materials and technologies.

As the days and weeks pass it is increasingly evident that America is tightening as many screws as it can lay a screwdriver to in pursuit of putting pressure on Pakistan to ‘do more’ and reinforcing international perceptions that Pakistan is not, and never has, done enough. The list has been prepared by the US Bureau of Industry and Security and says that all seven companies can be “reasonably believed to be involved or to pose a significant risk of being or becoming involved, in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States.” A result is that Pakistan can expect stringent export control measures that can only be bad for the conduct of international trade. There are some key trigger words being used such as ‘proliferation’ that are guaranteed to raise eyebrows and anxieties, and increase the trust deficit that encircles Pakistan like trenches designed to trip and trap.

The coming months will see further increases in pressure from the American side at a time when the country is arguably at its weakest and least able to defend itself on the international stage. The moves that might bolster the confidence in Pakistan of those hurling the brickbats are unlikely to be taken by a fading government. Leadership? What leadership?

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2018.

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