E-Paper
Pakistan likely to stay on FATF grey list in decision today
At the last plenary meeting in March, FATF retained Pakistan in its “grey list” and directed it to do more in investigating and prosecuting senior leaders and commanders of UN-designated terrorist groups for terror financing.
Pakistan is not expected to exit the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) “grey list” during a meeting in Germany this week despite a high-profile effort mounted by Islamabad to convince the multilateral watchdog about its actions to curb terror financing.
Minister of state for foreign affairs Hina Rabbani Khar is heading the Pakistani delegation participating in the FATF plenary meeting being held in Berlin during June 14-17. The watchdog will announce its findings about Pakistan’s counterterror financing and anti-money laundering efforts at the conclusion of the meet on Friday.
At the last plenary meeting in March, FATF retained Pakistan in its “grey list” and directed it to do more in investigating and prosecuting senior leaders and commanders of UN-designated terrorist groups for terror financing.
Pakistan was placed in the grey list, or list of countries under increased monitoring, in June 2018 and given a 27-point action plan by FATF to curb terror financing.
Pakistan was given another seven-point action plan to counter money laundering last October, after it implemented 26 of the 27 points in the original action plan. FATF concluded during the plenary meet in March that Pakistan implemented 32 of the 34 items in the two action plans.
Despite the hectic lobbying with FATF, The Express Tribune newspaper cited unnamed officials as saying that Pakistan will stay on the grey list till at least February 2023.
One of these officials said Pakistan may, at best, get an “on-site visit” by FATF officials, taking the country a step closer to getting out of the grey list.
