11 hours ago
Last Updated:June 16, 2025, 16:49 IST
Top Indian officials have reportedly shared intelligence with key member countries in the FATF’s Global Network in a bid to build consensus for grey-listing Pakistan once again.
Countries which fail to address strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter terrorist financing are placed in the grey list of FATF | Image.Representative
In a rare and unusually direct statement, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has for the first time acknowledged and condemned the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025. This recent statement issued by the FATF is a move, seen by the strategic and geopolitical observers, as a potential opening for India’s renewed push to put Pakistan back on the grey list.
“The FATF notes with grave concern and condemns the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025," said the global watchdog in a public release titled – Strengthening Efforts to Combat Terrorist Financing. “This, and other recent attacks, could not occur without money and the means to move funds between terrorist supporters," the statement added.
This stark admission by the FATF apparently comes amid fresh diplomatic efforts by New Delhi to highlight the resurgence of cross-border terrorism and expose the financial networks behind it. Top Indian officials have reportedly shared intelligence with key member countries in the FATF’s Global Network — which includes over 200 jurisdictions — in a bid to build consensus for grey-listing Pakistan once again.
Even though Pakistan was removed from the grey list in 2022 after years of compliance measures and other efforts, Indian agencies and diplomatic authorities argue that the operational infrastructure of terror remains either untouched or still being nurtured – merely masked by temporary legal facades.
The Pahalgam attack, and a string of recent strikes in Jammu and Kashmir, are being cited as proof that financing routes remain active.
The FATF, too, has signalled a shift in their approach through the statement. “In addition to setting out the framework for combating terrorist financing, the FATF has enhanced its focus on the effectiveness of measures countries have put in place," the statement stated. “That is how, through our mutual evaluations, we have identified gaps that need to be addressed," it added.
New Delhi considers this evolving emphasis – from legal frameworks to on-ground effectiveness – as a crucial opportunity. According to senior officials News18 earlier spoke with, India has compiled a fresh dossier tracing fund flow, tech-enabled money laundering, and virtual currency abuse linked to terror proxies, to be presented at upcoming FATF and other global platforms. In fact, India presented its case in the recent concluded FATF meetings.
The FATF also acknowledged the changing nature of terrorist financing: “We must be unified against the scourge of global terrorism. Because terrorists need to succeed only once to achieve their goal, while we have to succeed every time to prevent it."
For India, the Pahalgam attack is more than a domestic tragedy — it’s a rallying point for global accountability. And this time, the pressure is on FATF to match its words with action.
Madhuparna Das, Associate Editor (policy) at CNN News 18, has been in journalism for nearly 14 years. She has extensively been covering politics, policy, crime and internal security issues. She has covered Naxa...Read More
Madhuparna Das, Associate Editor (policy) at CNN News 18, has been in journalism for nearly 14 years. She has extensively been covering politics, policy, crime and internal security issues. She has covered Naxa...
Read More
News world In Rare Move, FATF Flags Pahalgam Terror Attack: 'Could Not Occur Without Money'
