The United States spent the past week lobbying member countries of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to place Pakistan on a so-called grey list of nations that are not doing enough to combat terrorism financing. Lashkar-i-Taiba has been accused by the United States and India of being behind 2008 militant attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai in which 166 people died. Pakistan made last-minute efforts to avoid being placed on the watchlist, such as taking over charities linked to Saeed. The Pakistani official who was familiar with the negotiations said the Saudi-led GCC had been "flipped" by the United States between Tuesday and Thursday. US President Donald Trump last month ordered a suspension in security aid to Pakistan over what the United States sees as its failure to crack down on militants.

Source: bd News24 February 23, 2018 11:37 UTC