Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat said on Saturday that there was pressure on Pakistan to crack down on terrorist groups in its country, after global terror watchdog Financial Action Task Force said Islamabad had failed on 22 of the 27 targets it had set, ANI reported. The Financial Action Task Force gave Islamabad time till February 2020 to comply with the full action plan against terror, failing which the country could be blacklisted.

Asked about the task force’s warning to Pakistan, Rawat said: “See, the pressure is on them [Pakistan]. It is for them to take action. What can we say about it? We would want that they work towards restoring peace.”

The Financial Action Task Force sets standards for fighting illicit finance globally. In June, the global watchdog had warned Pakistan to complete an action plan on terror financing and urged Islamabad to meet the October 2019 deadline. In June 2018, Pakistan was put on its “grey list” and given a 27-point action plan to implement it in order to be taken off the list.

“It is a big setback for any country to be put on a grey list,” Rawat said on Saturday. He was answering reporters’ questions after flagging off the “The Ultimate Run”, an event to honour disabled soldiers, organised by the Indian Army.

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