New Delhi, June 17 –The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Monday condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, calling it a brutal act that highlights the urgent need to choke terror financing channels globally.
The global watchdog, which monitors money laundering and terror financing across 200 jurisdictions, said it was “gravely concerned” over the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people. This is only the third time in a decade that FATF has officially condemned a specific terror strike.
“This, and other recent attacks, could not occur without money and the means to move funds between terrorist supporters,” FATF stated, underscoring its increased focus on the movement of funds by state and non-state actors.
Sources confirmed that the Pahalgam massacre was executed by Pakistan-trained terrorists, and the condemnation reflects the international community’s recognition of the severity of the assault.
The condemnation comes ahead of the Asia Pacific Group (APG) meet on August 25, and the FATF plenary in October, where India is preparing a dossier seeking Pakistan’s re-entry into the grey list. Officials say the move is based on Pakistan’s continued funding of terrorism and misuse of multilateral aid for arms procurement.
Significantly, sources said the FATF report on terrorist financing, to be released within a month, will for the first time acknowledge “state-sponsored terrorism” as a financing source — a concept long highlighted by India’s National Risk Assessment, particularly against Pakistan.
The FATF’s upcoming report will compile global case studies on terror financing and will be accompanied by a webinar to help public and private stakeholders detect emerging threats.
The watchdog also reiterated that terrorism remains a global threat, and financial intelligence must be used strategically to dismantle terror networks. FATF President Elisa de Anda Madrazo, speaking at the recent ‘No Money for Terror’ conference in Munich, warned, “Terrorists need to succeed only once, while we must succeed every time.”
Pakistan, previously grey-listed three times since 2008, was removed in October 2022 but remains under scrutiny by the APG. Currently, 24 countries are under the FATF grey list, facing enhanced monitoring and global pressure to close gaps in anti-money laundering and counter-terror financing frameworks.
The latest FATF statement could pave the way for renewed pressure on countries found enabling terrorism through financial or territorial safe havens.
