2nd Workshop on UNSC Sanctions Regime helps participants understand key aspects of the Regime for Pakistan

Islamabad, Pakistan 28 December 2022 – Islamabad (Pakistan), 28 December 2022 – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Country Office Pakistan, under its Country Programme-III (2022-2025) and Sub-Programme IV - Preventing and Countering Terrorism, conducted second workshop on United Nations Security Council Sanctions Regime from 15-16 December 2022 at in Lahore. The event was jointly organized with Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Ministry of Interior (MoI) and National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) while the financial support was provided by Global Affairs Canada (GAC).

The workshop brought together members of district intelligence units, financial intelligence and law enforcement officials from across 10 agencies to discuss Targeted Financial Sanctions (TFS) under the UNSC Sanctions Regime in Pakistan and facilitated an opportunity to share knowledge and tools on good practices for implementation of TFS regimes. Major aspects covered during the workshop included UNSCRs 1267, 1988 and 1373 sanctions regime; asset freezing under TFS and asset freezing as part of asset confiscation processes; and incorporation of TFS into broader AML/CFT national coordination and national strategies to counter terrorism financing.

The workshop commenced with the keynote by  Mr. George Braun, Deputy Director and Chief of the Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building Program (CTCBP), Global Affairs Canada., He appreciated the efforts of law enforcement agencies in Pakistan in tackling the issues of terrorism and commitment of GAC in supporting Pakistan to address challenges in combating terrorism. He further added that “Capacity-building assistance increases law enforcement cooperation between Canada and other countries, as well as strengthens regional cooperation to build a stronger more resilient global neighborhood.” This was followed by remarks by Mr. Muhammad Iqbal, Director General DFNBPs, FBR and Mr. Arsalan Malik, Head of Sub-Office UNODC. The speakers emphasized the need for enhancing coordination among criminal justice agencies for effective implementation of TFS. The workshop commenced with the introduction of participants with the delegation of GAC and brief introduction of workshop objectives. Later, Mr. Asim Ali Khan, Director General CT, MOFA presented a brief overview of counter terrorism financing regime in Pakistan before delivering a detailed presentation on guidelines developed by MoFA for implementation of UNSCR 1267, 1988. The presentation covered a wide range of topics including sanction measures, legal framework in Pakistan, domestic application of sanctions, and responsibilities of provincial authorities in implementation of TFS. Representatives from Federal Board of Revenue and Financial Monitoring Unit (State Bank of Pakistan), during their presentations, briefed the audience on the role of their respective organizations in implementation of TFS under UNSC sanctions regime. Later in the day, MoI representative enlightened the participants on Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) framework in Pakistan including the MLA Act 2020. The presentation also covered the importance of formal and informal international cooperation. 

Second day of the workshop started with a presentation  by Punjab Home Department on its role in implementation of FATF Action Plan with regards to proscribed listings.

Later, in the presentation by NACTA, participants learned about step-by-step procedures to be followed after receiving the MLA requests from host countries. Furthermore, they were apprised on actions required by authorities for implementation of UNSC Resolution 1373 following the guidelines developed by NACTA. A group exercise was also part of the day where participants were assigned to analyze a scenario-based case study related to financial investigations and prosecutions in context of CTF & TFS and then present their analysis based on findings from the case study.

Participants received certificates during the closing ceremony and expressed their appreciation of UNODC's efforts for organizing such workshops which helped them improve their understanding of UNSC sanctions regime in Pakistan.