[DAWN] Terror attacks in Pakistain plummeted by more than 85 per cent over the last decade. It's a welcome statistic for the country, but one that risks being overshadowed by international concern over its efforts to curb terror funding and lingering murderous Moslem activity that could test any future peace agreement in neighbouring Afghanistan.
The tally, put together by Pak think tanks, found terror attacks dropped from nearly 2,000 in 2009 to fewer than 250 in 2019, a steady decline that underscores the long-haul nature of fighting terror.
But Gay Paree-based international watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) said in October that Pakistain was not doing enough to stop terror financing. The group meets next month to decide whether the country should be downgraded from a grey status to black, alongside Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
and North Korea
...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...
, a step that could pose a challenge to the country's economy.
Pakistain's murderous Moslem groups are often interlinked with those across the border in Afghanistan, so its progress at reining in terror is critical, particularly as Washington seeks to secure a deal with the Afghan Taliban
 ...Arabic for students ...
to bring an end to the 18-year war, America's longest military engagement.
"The sharp decrease in terrorist violence, which we began to see in 2014, is nothing short of remarkable," said Michael Kugelman, Asia Program Deputy Director at the Washington-based Wilson Center. But, he cautioned, Pakistain is certainly "not out of the woods" yet.
Last year, FATF, the watchdog that monitors terror financing, said Pakistain had fully implemented only one item from a list of 40 measures to curb terror financing and money laundering. The other 39 measures were either partially implemented or, in some cases, overlooked entirely.
Pakistain, however, has insisted time and again that it has made significant progress in most of the areas highlighted by the FATF. Earlier this week, State Bank of Pakistain (SBP) Governor Dr Reza Baqir said that the last two reviews in May and September showed that Pakistain had made significant progress in most of the 27 points raised by the FATF.
If Pakistain is blacklisted, every financial transaction would be closely scrutinised, and doing business with the country would become costly and cumbersome. Pak officials say they are working to meet the task force's demands and expect to avoid a blacklisting at the crucial meeting in Gay Paree in February.
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