Pakistan already cracking down on Haqqani network: Government
The UN Security Council's Taliban sanctions committee on Monday added the Pakistan-based group, accused of high-profile attacks in Afghanistan, to its sanctions list.
The action obliges all UN members to implement an asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo for the Haqqani network.
"The three elements of the ban – arms embargo, asset freeze and travel ban – are all already in place in Pakistan," Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told Reuters.
The United States designated the Haqqani network as a terrorist organisation in September, a move the group's commanders said proved Washington was not sincere about peace efforts in Afghanistan.
The Haqqanis, a group allied with the Afghan Taliban, are the most experienced fighters in Afghanistan and are blamed for some of the boldest attacks, including one on embassies and parliament in Kabul in April that lasted 18 hours.
US officials have long accused Pakistan of supporting the network, an allegation Islamabad denies.
"Which banned militant can openly travel in Pakistan? We have also checked on financing and other transfers. There is no problem," Kaira said.
A few months ago, the leader of a banned organisation openly led a march into the capital, Islamabad.
Gretchen Peters, who wrote a report on Haqqani finances for the Combating Terrorism Center, said Pakistan could shut down the Haqqanis if it wanted.
"That's patently not true" that they have already cracked down, she said.
Seized receipts and other documents showed Haqqani leaders owned property, construction, trading and transport firms and bought weapons and ammunition inside Pakistan, she said.
A small team of financial investigators with strong political backing could severely damage the network, she said, citing US successes in tackling South American drug cartels and seizing assets of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
So far, it is unclear how well the sanctions will be enforced. Peters' report found that most of the Haqqani assets were in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.
"A sanction is like an arrest warrant. It only means something if countries act on it," she said.
In Pakistan, decisions about counter-terrorism and military strategy are taken by the military, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 65-year history.
So far, the army has been conspicuously silent on the UN sanctions and US designation of the Haqqanis as terrorists.
The military's Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) is widely believed to be its most competent and well-resourced of more than a dozen Pakistani security agencies.
It is also the agency that the United States has previously accused of supporting the Haqqani network.
COMMENTS (14)
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if pak is against terrorists and talibans then wt is the problem in taking action against such groups? if pak is nt happy so they shud clarify it to the world dt they dont want to take action against talibans and haqanis?
@Chengez K Because Haqqani is illegally and immorally using Pakistani soil to fight a war in Afghanistan and in doing so is bringing that war to Pakistan.
@Chengez K
No doubt you would be singing a different tune if your neighbors adopted the same philosophy. The reality is that if you provide sanctuary to terrorist who attack your neighbors then you should be held responsible for their actions.
Pakistan govt and military has draft sets of 'Standard Operated Procedures'(SOP) replies to various categories of accusations and compliances which it receives so frequently from various countries and prompt replies are issued from its draft SOP's without making any verifications on the ground.
The reply from GOP is very funny. Those days are gone when it could fool the world. Remember where OBL was found? Repent for what you have sowed.
@Chengez K: Because America, NATO and United Nations is ordering you to attack, with consent from Russia and China.
When Muhammad Ali was being asked to draft and go to fight in Vietnam.....he famously said " No Vitecong ever called me Nigger"
If the Haqqanis have never attacked Pakistan then why should we waste our time following the defeated armies in Afghanistan!!!
"We have a dream" speech by GoP.
Biased news reporting, not surprised it's from Reuters. Pakistani newspapers like ET should not blindly copy and paste Reuters propaganda.
Putting sanctions on Haqqanis while the election commissioner in Afghanistan inviting Afghan Taliban to contest for presidency.....hmmm that's interesting.
Militants seem to be able to travel anywhere in Pakistan - more than I can say for IK or your elected officials.