Pakistan denies Dawood's presence after releasing three addresses in its territory
Islamabad/IBNS: Pakistan has denied that the two Special Regulatory Orders (SROs) announcing sanctions against key figures of terror groups, including 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, does not amount to an admission that it sheltered them.
According to the August 18 listing issued by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dawood Ibrahim's address is "White House, Near Saudi Mosque, Clifton" in Karachi, Pakistan, media reports said.
He has other properties at "House Nu 37 - 30th Street - defense, Housing Authority, Karachi" and "Palatial bungalow in the hilly area of Noorabad in Karachi", the reports added.
Pakistan has also issued five passports to the underworld don who has a large empire of illegal business.
“The assertions made by some sections of the Indian media, as to Pakistan admitting to the presence of certain listed individuals on its territory, based on the information contained in the SRO, are baseless and misleading,” said a Foreign Ministry statement while denying that the measures announced in the notifications were "new".
The statement said the notifications were issued “periodically as a routine matter” including one issued in 2019.
Pakistan claimed it has imposed tough sanctions against terror groups and their leaders, including Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar and Dawood Ibrahim, by freezing bank accounts and seizing their properties.
In June 2018, Pakistan was put in the grey list of the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The inter-governmental body that combats financial crimes asked Pakistan to implement a plan of action by the end of 2019, but the deadline was extended owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
On August 19, Pakistan submitted its initial draft report to the joint group of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), showing progress and compliance of the remaining 13 points out of 27 action points.
So far, Pakistan has been granted extension three times, each time for three months, to comply with 27 action points.
Out of the 27 points, the FATF had declared Pakistan fully compliant on 14 points and currently, it is facing an October 2020 deadline to comply with the remaining 13 points.
In October, the FATF plenary session is expected to make a decision whether Pakistan would be cleared from the ‘grey list’ or downgraded to a blacklist to face stringent financial sanctions.
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