ISLAMABAD: The Afghan Taliban chief negotiator Abdul Ghani Baradar, who brokered the historic peace deal between the US and Taliban in Doha on February 29, 2020, and Haqqani Network's chief Sirajuddin Haqqani are among the top Taliban leaders that have been slapped with financial sanctions by Pakistan in line with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) obligation.
The statutory notification of the Minister of Foreign Affairs published on August 18th, cited various United Nations Security Council resolutions under which the states have been directed to apply travel restrictions, arms embargo, travel ban, prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer to these individuals, group, and to freeze the funds and other financial resources of certain individuals and entities.
"Whereas the Ministry of Foreign Affairs intends to issue S.R.Os containing the consolidated list of all individuals and entities subject to sanctions under the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, on a quarterly basis and in addition to issuance of regular S.R.Os to reflect updates/changes made by the Committee," the SRO stated.
Now therefore, it added that the order contains the consolidated list of all individuals and entities listed by the Taliban (1988) Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council as of 26 November 2019, and will be subject to sanction measures.
It stated that the Federal Government is pleased to order that the Resolution 2255 (2015) be fully implemented including in particular that individuals and entities listed to this order reflecting the updates made by the Taliban (1988) Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council till date, shall stand subjected to the asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo in accordance with the UNSC resolutions.
As of August 18, 2020, it added that the Taliban (1988) Sanctions Committee has approved the entries specified below to its list of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.
Predominant of those that have been sanctioned included; Abdul Ghani Baradar, Taliban chief negotiator with United States who brokered the historic February 29, 2020 peace deal with the US and he was also deputy to Taliban chief and ex-deputy Minister of Defence under the Taliban regime; Jalaluddin Haqqani [late], the founder of Haqqani Network and Minister of Frontier Affairs under the Taliban regime; Sirajuddin Haqqani, the current chief of Haqqani Network and son of Jalaluddin Haqqani; Nasiruddin Haqqani, key member of Haqqani Network and son of Jalaluddin Haqqani; Khalil Ahmed Haqqani, senior member of the Haqqani Network and brother of Jalaluddin Haqqani; Sayyed Mohammed Haqqani, head of information and culture in Kandahar Province under the Taliban regime; Abdul Aziz, key commander of the Haqqani Network; Azizi Rahman, third secretary, Taliban Embassy, Abu Dhabi, UAE under the Taliban regime; Molvi Abdul Qadeer, Military Attache, Taliban Embassy, Islamabad, under Taliban regime; Movli Nazir Mohammad, acting, Governor of Kunduz Province under the Taliban regime; Abdul Ghafar, repatriation attaché, Taliban Embassy, Islamabad, under Taliban regime; Abdul Satar, co-owner of Haji Khairullah Haji Sattar Money Exchange; Abdul Hai, first secretary, Taliban Consulate General, Quetta, under Taliban regime; Ahmad Taha, Governor of Paktia Province under the Taliban regime; Sayed Esmatullah, Deputy Minister of Preventing Vice and Propagating Virtue under the Taliban regime; Shamsur Rahman, Deputy Minister of Agriculture under the Taliban regime; Amir Abdullah, former Kandahar Province Deputy Taliban Governor; Yahya Haqqani, a senior member of Haqqani Network; Abdul Samad Achekzai, senior Taliban member responsible for the manufacturing of improvised explosive devices (IED); Janan Agha, Governor of Faryab Province under the Taliban regime, member of Taliban Supreme Council and advisor to the late founding leader of Taliban Mullah Mohammed Omar; and others.
The entities and other groups that have been sanctioned included: Haqqani Network, Haji Basir and Zarjmil Company Hawala, Haji Khairullah Haji Sattar Money Exchange, Rahat Ltd and Roshan Money Exchange.
In his comments, Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued two consolidated SROs on 18 August 2020, reflecting the current status of the UN Taliban and ISIL(Da'esh) and AQ Sanctions list.
These lists contain names of individuals and entities designated under the two sanction regimes established pursuant to the UN Security Council resolutions, he said, adding that the consolidated SROs are issued periodically as a routine matter.
Similar SROs have been issued, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the past, as per statutory requirements and to meet our international obligations. Last such SROs were issued in 2019, he added.
"The SROs issued reflect information contained in the list entry of UN designated individuals/entities," he said, adding that the reports in certain sections of the media about Pakistan imposing any new sanctions measures, through these SROs, are not factual.
Similarly, he added that the assertions made by some sections of the Indian media, as to Pakistan admitting to the presence of certain listed individuals on its territory, based on the information contained in the SRO, is baseless and misleading.
"It is once again reiterated that the information contained in the SRO is reproduced as per the details in the list entry of the individuals/entities designated under the two sanctions regime, which is publically available, and contains names of individuals, who despite their confirmed deceased status still continue to be on the sanctions list," he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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