Pakistan likely to get pushed in FATF blacklist for not combatting terror financing

Pakistan is likely to be pushed into the ‘black list’ of Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) by February, 2021, as it continues to finance and tolerate terrorist organisations, as per reports.

Terrorist organisations, such as JuD and JeM, allegedly continue to operate with impunity in Pakistan. The said blacklist is for countries that the intra-governmental organisation considers non-cooperative in the global effort to combat financing of terrorism.

The FATF will consider Pakistan ‘greylist’ status, meant for countries “under increased monitoring” during a meeting in coming days. The country in question was already placed on the grey-list once in 2018.

FATF President Marcus Pleyer reportedly said during October’s review meeting in 2020 that there were very serious deficiencies in Pakistan’s efforts to counter terrorist financing. “As long as we see that the country is progressing with the action items, and we have seen progress with Pakistan, we give them a chance to repair the outstanding issues, but we do not do this forever,” Pleyer said.

He added, “After that on-site visit, the next plenary will then decide whether Pakistan has indeed fully and effectively completed the action plan and then there is a decision on whether Pakistan would leave the grey list or not.”

After placing Pakistan on the Grey List in June 2018, the FATF had asked Islamabad to implement a plan of action to curb money laundering and terror financing. The FATF meeting scheduled in February is likely to decide on Pakistan’s Grey List status. Maintaining that the Pakistani establishment uses the terrorists and proscribed groups as “proxies” to execute its anti-India agenda, he called upon the international community to hold the Imran Khan-led government accountable.

In October, last year, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had slammed the Imran Khan-led government for failing to remove Pakistan from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The Pakistani opposition party said that the country made it to the money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog’s list due to “lack of homework”. According to sources of Dawn, PPP said that the decision was “slipshod” and “obviously done in law drafting.”

Source: Republic World