Pakistan on a draft bill for the permanent ban of terror groups

The Pakistan government is drafting a Bill which will replace the presidential ordinance that banned outfits and people already on the watch list of the interior ministry. The bill is able to permanently ban Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud Dawa as well as other groups and individuals on the watch list of the interior ministry.

The proposed draft Bill to amend the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997 was likely to be tabled in the upcoming session of the National Assembly scheduled to commence on Monday. The law ministry was involved in the process for the purpose of critical examining the proposed draft bill, adding that the military establishment was also on board.

The government decided to prepare a draft bill to amend the ATA as part of its damage-control campaign after the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) approved a nomination proposal tabled jointly by the US, the UK, France and Germany to place Pakistan on the international watchdog’s money-laundering and terror-financing grey list in February.

Under Section 11-EE, the requirements were: “(a) concerned in terrorism; (b) an activist, office-bearer or an associate of an organization kept under observation under section 11D or proscribed under section 11B; and (c) in any way concerned or suspected to be concerned with such organization or affiliated with any group or organization suspected to be involved in terrorism or sectarianism or acting on behalf of, or at the direction of, any person or organization proscribed under this Act.”

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Pakistan is also preparing a more solid database of known terrorists and terrorist organizations which will be a chance for the accessible to financial institutions and law-enforcement agencies of the country to strengthen the regime against money laundering and terror financing and also helps to cease the flow of financial help.

The government would also frame the ATA’s freezing and seizure rules and ensure that Anti-Terrorism Amendment Ordinance 2018 is enacted through the parliament, according to the draft action plan. The amendment to the ATA would also enable investigation officers to be trained to investigate sources of funding besides other financial aspects in terrorism cases.