Terror activities increased after Pakistan's removal from FATF grey list: Security agencies

Weeks after the world's terrorism financing watchdog removed Pakistan from the 'grey list' of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Indian security agencies on Wednesday claimed that Pakistan-sponsored terrorist activities have increased in J&K, reports ETV Bharat's Gautam Debroy.

New Delhi:Terrorist activities in India have increased after Pakistan was taken off the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), confirmeda senior official from one of India's premier security agencies in New Delhi on Thursday. Pakistan was removed from the grey list of FATF in October this year, four years after it was imposed following its failure to prevent international money laundering and terrorist financing. At present, 23 countries remain under the watch of FATF.

Another senior official from Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has said that a total of 178 terrorists including 52 foreign terrorists (hailing from Pakistan) and 126 local terrorists have been neutralized by the CRPF in Jammu & Kashmir this year. "There are still 135 active terrorists in J&K out of which 53 are foreign terrorists and 82 are local terrorists," the official said. In 2021, as many as 180 terrorists were neutralized by CRPF in J&K in different encounters.

"Of the total terrorists killed in J&K last year, 151 were local terrorists and 29 were foreign terrorists," the official added. The local terrorists neutralized by security agencies also include 'hybrid' terrorists who are hired by terrorist organizations to conduct attacks on civilians and security forces.

The official said that CRPF has also launched a massive civic action program in J&K so that they can keep the local people, especially youths untouched by terrorism. "We are doing civic action program in J&K, the way we do in Naxal affected areas," the CRPF official said. In fact, the medical aid and health camps being organized by security agencies in insurgency and terrorism-hit areas always get good responses from the local people.

The Financial Action Task Force, is an intergovernmental organization on the initiative of the G7 which lists countries that are not considered safe in aspects of supporting terror funding and money laundering in its Grey List.