India humiliated in FATF meeting: Qureshi

Shah Mehmood Qureshi says New Delhi's conspiracies to place Pakistan on blacklist failed

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Sunday that India’s conspiracies to place Pakistan on the Financial Action Task Force’s blacklist failed, Radio Pakistan reported.

The minister made the comments while speaking to the media during a motorcycle tour of his constituency in Multan. “India has faced humiliation in the FATF meeting,” he said. “Hopefully, Pakistan will be out of the grey list soon.”

Qureshi said Pakistan's stance was appreciated by all members except India at the FATF plenary meeting last week.

The FATF decided to not blacklist the country, giving it more time to complete the 27-point action plan as a vast majority of the members recognised Islamabad’s “enormous efforts to improve its counter-terrorism financing regime”.

Pakistan’s status was retained on FATF’s Compliance Document, normally referred to as the “grey list”, for four more months, setting June 2020 as the new deadline for delivering on the remaining points related to terror financing risk management.

The FATF decision came as a huge disappointment for India, which has consistently lobbied for ‘blacklisting’ Pakistan by the global financial watchdog.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang was specifically asked about the Indian media reports which said Beijing was shifting its stance at FATF.

“China’s position on the relevant issue remains unchanged,” the spokesperson told the reporter categorically. “It was decided at the meeting that Pakistan will be allowed more time to continue implementing its action plan.”

The FATF, also known by its French name Groupe d’Action Financiere, is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G-7 nations to develop policies to combat money laundering.

This is the second four-month lifeline that FATF has given to Pakistan, which would also help keep opening the financing pipelines from international creditors. Avoiding FATF’s blacklist would also guarantee continuation of the IMF programme, subject to fulfillment of other IMF conditions.

It’s official: US, Taliban to sign peace accord on February 29

Afghan peace process

Qureshi termed the US-Taliban peace deal a triumph for Pakistan’s efforts. “The agreement would bring peace in whole the region,” said the foreign minister as he vowed that Islamabad would continue to play an important role in uplift of Afghanistan.

The minister reflected that after years of doubt, the world was now acknowledging Pakistan’s role in bringing peace and stability in the war-torn country. “Due to certain issues in Afghanistan, Pakistan has focused on its western border, however the situation on eastern border is also a bit sensitive.”

The United States and the Afghan Taliban are on the cusp of signing a peace deal, with observers expressing optimism that the development would not only end the over 18-year-long conflict but also lead to stability in the war-ravaged country.

The imminent peace deal was the result of a 14-month long painstaking negotiation process — brokered and facilitated by Pakistan — between the US and the Taliban.

Ahead of the formal signing of the agreement — possibly on February 29 — the Afghan Taliban would observe a seven-day ceasefire in a move that aims at gauging the authority the Taliban representatives holding talks with the US wields on battlefield commanders as well as to create an enabling environment for an intra-Afghan dialogue.



Trump in India

Qureshi said United States President Donald Trump would highlight the Kashmir cause during his maiden trip to India starting Monday.

He said Islamabad’s diplomacy is yielding results as Kashmir has become a top agenda at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and British Parliamentarians highlighted the issue during a recent visit.

Qureshi said Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari will be raising the Kashmir conflict in Geneva.

Economic stability

Responding to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s criticism of the incumbent government, Qureshi advised the lawmaker to focus on the situation in his home province.

The foreign minister underscored that the PTI government will complete its term. Referring to the economic situation of the country, Qureshi said 2020 would be the year of economic prosperity.  "The government will provide some good news to the nation very soon."

Qureshi maintained that the findings of the wheat crisis report will be followed through.