FATF and India
03 December 2023
Published in: The Nation
The objectives of the FATF are to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combatting money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. FATF is a “policy-making body” that works to generate the necessary political will to bring about national legislative and regulatory reforms in these areas. FATF monitors progress in implementing its recommendations through “peer reviews” (mutual evaluations) of member countries. (Wikipedia)
Currently, the FATF seems to be oblivious to governments turning rogue and employing their intelligence agencies and death squads to attain geopolitical objectives through acts of terrorism. Terror financing is a major part of these activities.
At the domestic level, it has unleashed a genocidal reign of terror in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir Region (IIOJ&KR). A plethora of draconian laws that give unlimited powers to its security and armed forces have placed the Muslim majority Jammu & Kashmir region in the crosshairs of relentless state sponsored and sanctioned terrorism. Indian Muslims as a whole are subjected to vile propaganda and violent repression through political, social and state organs. Similarly, the Sikh Movement for an independent Khalistan has been subjected to extremely harsh and pitiless suppressive measures. Christians too are suffering greatly as Hindu-Christian clashes take place in Manipur. All Minorities, Dalits etc in India are thus largely terrorised by the current BJP government through self-serving majoritarian policies, xenophobic and prejudiced legislations and outrageous brutality of state institutions.
At the regional level, Pakistan is the main victim of India’s Hindutva-inspired BJP government and its rogue intelligence agency, RAW. For decades now, RAW has maintained terrorist groups in Afghanistan and Iran and has carried out cross-border terrorist activities throughout Pakistan. These terrorist groups have been sponsored, organised, trained, equipped, financed, led, tasked, launched and controlled by RAW. They include ISK, TTP, TJP, JuA, IMU, ETIM as well as some Baloch dissident groups like the BLA, BRAS etc. Their strategic interests converge against Pakistan and China’s BRI-CPEC. The current Afghan regime is either incompetent to put an end to this India – sponsored terrorism against Pakistan or is directly complicit in it. Furthermore, a serving Indian Navy officer, Kulbhushan Yadav was captured in Balochistan. Operating out of Chahbahar Iran, he was organising, conducting and overseeing espionage, sabotage and terrorist operations in Balochistan and Karachi.
Of late, the Indian government and its reprobate RAW have started employing the strategy of death squads to not only eliminate political opponents but also spread terror amongst all those who oppose it politically. These death squads have exhibited their regional and global reach. In particular they are targeting Kashmiri and Sikh individuals and religious institutions who support freedom movements in IIOJ&KR and Indian Punjab (Khalistan). They have been carrying out these assassinations in Pakistan, UK, Canada, the Middle East and have been recently caught attempting the murder of a Sikh leader in the US as well. RAW’s strategic reach is now clearly impinging upon the democratic, political and social boundaries of India’s enemies, friends and allies alike and threatening the prevailing international order. Unfortunately, it is only now when RAW’s tentacles have reached the UK, Canada and the US that serious notice has been taken of its abundant terrorist activities!
RAW’s ghoulish strategy of death squads is audacious, widespread and has been sustained for some time now. In 2022 a Sikh Canadian Ripudaman Singh Malik, who had been acquitted from involvement in the Air India flight bombing in 1985, was shot dead. In September 2023 RAW ostensibly orchestrated the murder of Sikh Canadian activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia. In October 2023 it reportedly poisoned one Avtar Singh Khanda in Britian. RAW has carried out assassinations of Kashmiri and Sikh separatists in Pakistan’s tribal regions, Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. In May 2023 Paramjit Singh Panjwar was shot to death in Lahore. A while earlier another Sikh activist Harmeet Singh too was shot dead in Lahore.
The FATF must also bring this aspect of international terrorism under stringent focus and inquiry forthwith. It needs to move post haste to start instituting unimpeachable policies, measures, firewalls, checks and balances on governments who start sponsoring, maintaining and financing terrorist groups and launching death squads domestically and internationally. This is a must to ensure and sustain a viable, peaceful world order.
India’s RSS sponsored Hindutva-inspired BJP government is a prime candidate for such a study to draw the relevant conclusions to bring about effective oversight and control over the spread of state-sponsored domestic and international terrorism as well as death squads. India is trying to take advantage of the current geopolitical space that has been afforded to it by the boundless patronage of the US-led West because of its ostensible value in countering and containing China. It has clearly bitten much more than it can chew. The Five Eyes and others in the US-led West will be well aware of RAW/India’s past, current and potential shenanigans in this field. They too need to move forthwith to put an end to this state-sponsored international terrorism. Peer reviews too must diligently cover this aspect. Black and Grey Lists must come into play. India must be made accountable for the ruthless, remorseless campaign of state sponsored international terrorism (including death squads) it is carrying out without any let or hindrance!