New Delhi: In a rare move, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) – the global watchdog on terror financing – has strongly condemned the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, where 26 innocent civilians were shot dead, many of them in front of their family members.
Not mincing words, FATF said in a statement that the brutal massacre could not have taken place without financial backing and the ability to move funds across terror networks.
“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,” FATF said in a statement issued in a document titled ‘Strengthening Efforts to Combat Terrorist Financing’.
FATF’s public acknowledgment of the Pahalgam attack is extremely significant as over the years, it has been cautious in naming specific incidents or countries while addressing global terror-financing issues.
Hence it is a major ‘win’ for India, as the statement vindicates New Delhi’s position that Pakistan continues to sponsor, harbour and finance cross-border terrorism.
At the same time, it sends a strong signal to Pakistan that the international community no longer buys its denials and diversions.
Pakistan was in FATF’s grey list – signifying a country under increased monitoring due to weaknesses in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing systems — from 2018 to 2022.
India has been pushing for Pakistan’s return to the grey list, having repeatedly highlighted the use of hawala, NGOs and digital tools like cryptocurrency by terror groups operating from its soil, and also provided FATF with evidence related to Islamabad’s terror infrastructure.
This latest public condemnation of the Pahalgam attack could set a rethink on Pakistan.
The next meeting of the Asia Pacific Group (APG) of FATF is scheduled on August 25, while the plenary and working group meeting will take place on October 20.
India is learnt to be preparing a fresh dossier on Pakistan with respect to FATF anti-money laundering and terror-financing norms, which will be submitted to the Paris-based anti-terror body.
