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The latest sentencing of UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed by Pakistan is nothing but an effort to show its good intentions to Financial Action Task Force (FATF), at a time when the country is going under several financial crises, according to a media report.
On April 8, Muhammad Hafiz Saeed, who was already in jail since July 17, 2019, for other charges, was sentenced by a special anti-terrorism court in Lahore, Pakistan, to a jail term of 33 years for "financing terrorism." Though Pakistan would like the world to believe that it is taking action against the likes of Hafiz Saeed and the LeT, the organization itself continues to organise events to raise funds and recruit fighters, according to The Singapore Post. Saeed's conviction comes at a time when Pakistan is trying to avoid blacklisting by the global watchdog FATF, which judges a country's ability to combat illicit financing, including to armed groups. Since 2018, Pakistan has remained on the "grey list". FATF,'s Plenary in early March this year continued to keep Pakistan on the grey list. However, it is unclear, if Saeed will remain in jail for long. Past experience suggests that the more likely scenario will see Saeed walk free after an appeal is filed by his lawyers. Massimo Introvigne, an Italian sociologist of religions, writing in Bitter Winter, a magazine of religious liberty and human rights said though Saeed was sentenced to 33 years in jail, terrorism continues. The Pakistan court established that Lashkar-e-Taiba, a terrorist organization, was financed by Saeed and his political group Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD). The further question, however, is who finances Saeed and Jamat-ud-Dawa. This is a subject the court did not want to explore, said Introvigne. Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder and Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed was sent to prison in two terror financing cases that were registered by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in 2019, according to Islam Khabar. Saeed's sentencing is part of Pakistan's 'preparations' to meet stringent anti-terror measures that it is being asked to fulfil since 2018 to escape action by the FATF. It is a seasonal charade to avoid or postpone economic sanctions in case the FATF is not satisfied with the country's measures taken against terror funding and money laundering. (ANI)
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