NEW DELHI: Pakistan has removed over almost 3,800 names from its terror watch list quietly, raising concerns that important terrorists are being protected by the state despite being on the FATF’s enhanced grey list.According to a US risk compliance company, Castellum AI, (first covered by the Wall Street Journal) in October 2018, Pakistan’s terrorist watchlist, the Proscribed Persons List, had about 7,600 names. A note by Castellum said, “Between March 9 and March 27, Castellum.AI data showed that Pakistan removed 1,069 names from the Proscribed Persons List, and that all those names then appeared on the country’s Denotified List, a term used in Pakistan to signify an official removal. Since March 27th, about 800 more names were removed from the terrorist watchlist and placed on the Denotified List. Since its peak, about 3,800 names were removed from the Proscribed Persons List, without explanation or notification to the public.”Contrary to reports, however, while the latest list does not include the name of Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, the original list did not either — according to Indian security officials, Pakistan had never put Lakhvi’s name on its proscribed list. Both Maulana Masood Azhar and Lakhvi are “protected” assets of the Pakistani military-intelligence state. The latest list includes both Hafiz Saeed (No 1069) and Maulana Masood Azhar (No 1635).Sources here said top terror leaders like Masood Azhar (QDi.422), Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi (QDi.264), Dawood Ibrahim (QDi.115), leaders of the Haqqani Network, still remain free and active, with not even one criminal charge against them.Until 2019, Pakistan had told FATF that all of its about 7,600 terrorists, under Schedule 4 of its Anti Terrorist Act, were under close monthly monitoring of its police stations. Their bank accounts were frozen but they were allowed to earn separately. But, if their bank accounts had been frozen and with terror designations, they cannot operate new accounts, they would obviously be storing money in cash, which would be another concern about terror financing.Pakistan’s case is expected to be reviewed by the FATF in June, but with the Covid pandemic showing no signs of abating, its anyone’s guess whether the FATF plenary can be held then. Sources say it could move back to September, which will keep Pakistan in the enhanced grey list until then. In the last review, Pakistan was deemed to have made progress on 14 out of 27 point action plan it was supposed to execute.Sources said there continue to be 130-odd UN-designated terrorists, of which Pakistan claims there are only 16 on its territory, while seven are dead. Pakistan says it has no idea of the location of 114 of them.According to Indian sources, Pakistan has removed a big chunk of names from its proscribed list because the burden of tracking them and acting against them would be too much.The Castellum.AI note focused on a name Zaka-ur Rehman, which they believe is close enough to Zakiur Rehman. But Indian officials say all his aliases are covered in the UNSC designation. “In the case of Zaka Ur Rehman, the difference between Zaka and Zaki fits within the parameters of an accurate phonetic translation. Castellum.AI also searched for the Lashkar E Taiba leader’s full name, Zaki Ur Rehman Lakhvi, on the Pakistan Proscribed Persons list, and he was not on the list. This means that if the removed name is a false positive, that Pakistan has not added the Lashkar E Taiba leader to its terrorism watchlist.”