Pak terror groups exploiting Gaza crisis to rebuild infrastructure, recruit new cadre

Athens, Dec 9 (LatestNewsX) Pakistani terrorist groups Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) are exploiting the situation in Gaza to raise funds for reconstructing terror infrastructure and recruiting new cadres for their activities against India, a report said on Friday.

It added that the Pakistani state agencies have identified gaps in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, following Islamabad’s last greylisting and have since altered their modus operandi of terror financing.

“A dangerous trend is emerging in Pakistan as United Nations-designated terrorist outfits such as Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) are raising money for nefarious activities on the pretext of Gaza relief aid. More importantly, the direct involvement of JeM Chief Masood Azhar’s family members has been noted in fresh terror financing and funding efforts,” a report in Athens-based Geopolitico detailed.

“To avoid international backlash from terror watch dogs like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), these outfits have changed their modus operandi to attract donations and funding from within Pakistan and Gulf countries. They are now collecting funds directly into their wallets rather than into bank accounts to avoid FATF scrutiny,” it mentioned.

According to the report, the Israel-Hamas war, which erupted after the brutal Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, provided a convenient cover for Pakistan-based terror outfits to step up their funding efforts.

Citing reports, Geopolitico said, “Azhar’s son, Hammad Azhar, and brother Talha al-Saif are spearheading the campaign to raise money for terror activities through Gaza aid. They are using online platforms such as Easypaisa, cryptocurrencies, and digital wallets to collect funds for religious causes, including the reconstruction of over 300 mosques, prayer mats, and other such amenities.”

“These outfits have been raising funds since the early 1990s from Pakistani diaspora networks in the Gulf and western countries through fake charitable fronts to solicit donations ostensibly for relief work, and private donors linked to business networks, with large portions of these streams diverted to terror activities in India for creating instability in Jammu and Kashmir and conducting high-profile attacks like Mumbai in 2008,” it added.

The report stressed that the international community and FATF must keep a close watch on the terror financing and money laundering activities in Pakistan to prevent future crises in the Indian subcontinent that could endanger millions of lives.

“It is time that Pakistan-sponsored terrorism is recognised fully at the international stage, and the top leadership of terror outfits like JeM and LeT should be blacklisted,” it noted.

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