US re-designates Pakistan's LJ, LeT as foreign terrorist outfits: State Department

The United States has re-designated Pakistani terrorist groups including  Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LJ) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) as foreign terrorist organisations just weeks before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting in February. In a statement, the US Department of State on January 14 announced the designation of the Pakistani terror groups before FATF will meet to discuss the status of Islamabad’s position in the grey list.

"The Department of State has amended the terrorist designations of Lashkar- i- Jhangvi (LJ) and ISIL Sinai Peninsula (ISIL-SP) to include additional aliases. These aliases have been added to LJ and ISIL-SP's designations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT)," the department of State said in a release.

"The State Department "has reviewed and maintained the FTO designations of LJ, ISIL-SP, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jaysh Rijal al-Tariq al Naqshabandi, Jama'atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis-Sudan (Ansaru), al-Nusrah Front, Continuity Irish Republican Army and the National Liberation Army, pursuant to Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)," it added.

FTO and SDGT designations seek to reject the said terrorist organisations the resources to plan and even carry out the terrorist attacks. The statement further added, “Designations of terrorist individuals and groups expose and isolate them and deny them access to the US financial system. Designations can assist the law enforcement actions of other US agencies and governments.” Meanwhile, Pakistan is on the FATF’s grey list since June 2018 and is also facing challenges in clearing its name.

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Pakistan to remain in 'grey list' until February

Earlier in October 2020, the officials had said that Pakistan will remain in the 'grey list' till February 2021 as it remained unsuccessful in fulfilling the six key obligations of the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog that include failure to take action against two of India's most wanted terrorists Maulana Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed. After the last FATF meeting, FATF president Marcus Pleyer said at a virtual press conference from Paris, "Pakistan remains in the increased monitoring list or the grey list."

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