The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global terror watchdog, has condemned the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people on April 22. In its official statement, the FATF said the attack could not have happened without financial support and movement of funds across terror networks from terrorist supporters.
“Terrorist attacks kill, maim and inspire fear around the world. The FATF notes with grave concern and condemns the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025. This, and other recent attacks, could not occur without money and the means to move funds between terrorist supporters,” the FATF statement read, without any mention of Pakistan.
FATF, which had removed Pakistan from the grey list in 2022, added that it will be setting up a framework to combat terrorist financing, while also enhancing its focus on the measures undertaken by countries in this regard.
“That is how, through our mutual evaluations, we have identified gaps that need to be addressed. The FATF has developed guidance on terrorist financing risk to support experts that contribute to evaluations of the 200+ jurisdictions in the Global Network,” the statement added.
The terror watchdog also flagged new-age risks including social media abuse, crowdfunding and virtual assets, and how these tools were increasingly being used to bypass traditional surveillance systems. “The FATF has been working for 10 years to help countries stay ahead of terrorist financing risk-for example relating to abuse of social media, crowd funding, and virtual assets,” the statement read, adding that FATF will be releasing a “comprehensive analysis of terrorist financing”.
The FATF also quoted its chief’s recent remarks during a conference in Munich as it urged unified response against the “scourge of global terrorism”.
FATF’s statement comes in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and the heigtened tensions between India and Pakistan after India launched Operation Sindoor against terrorism in retaliation. Though Pakistan has denied its role in the terror attack, India has linked Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba and its offshoot TRF to the Pahalgam attack. India has also highlighted the support and funding provided by Pakistan for cross-border terrorism.
Pakistan has been on FATF’s grey list several times. It first appeared on the list in 2008, but was removed two years later, before it reappeared in 2012. The name was removed again in 2015, brought back in 2018, before being finally removed in October 2022.
