No new sanctions imposed on terror outfits: FO

The Foreign Office on Saturday rejected Indian claims regarding sanctions on banned organisations such as the Taliban or the Islamic State, also known as Da’esh, saying no new sanctions had been imposed on the individuals and outfits.

The Foreign Office spokesperson said on August 18, 2020, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs issued two comprehensive notifications regarding the Taliban, al-Qaeda and the IS under the United Nations sanctions.

The spokesperson said the lists included individuals and organisations nominated by the UN Security Council for sanctions. “Comprehensive SROs are issued from time to time as per routine,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said.

“Such SROs has been issued in the past to meet global obligations. The last SRO was issued in 2019,” the spokesperson said, adding Pakistan was not imposing new sanctions under these SROs.

The Indian media’s claim that Pakistan acknowledged their presence in the lists was baseless. The spokesperson said that individuals or organisations listed in the SROs were already under sanctions and those restrictions were not new.

According to media reports, the government had issued the SRO on Friday, ordering full compliance with the United Nations Security Council sanctions against the Afghan Taliban, the Haqqani Network, Da’esh and al-Qaeda.

The SRO ordered enforcement of assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo on the insurgent group.

Section 10 of the SRO explained the purpose of issuance of the new SRO which said “in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 2 of the United Nations’ (Security Council) Act, 1948, (XIV of 1948), the Federal Government is pleased to order that the Resolution 2255 (2015) be fully implemented” with respect to Taliban leaders and affiliated entities listed in the annexure attached to it.

The SRO was issued ahead of the upcoming review of the progress Pakistan has made against terrorist financing and money laundering by the Financial Action Task Force, the global illicit-financing watchdog.

A number of laws have recently been passed by the parliament to meet the FATF requirements for Pakistan’s removal from the ‘grey list’ of countries whose financial systems are considered vulnerable to exploitation because of their weaknesses.

Pakistan, which has always denied any links with Taliban, has in the past said that it is in full compliance with UNSC sanctions against the group.