'No room' to keep Pakistan on grey list: FM Qureshi

Some 'forces' want the 'sword' to hang over Pakistan, the foreign minister adds

ISLAMABAD:

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday said there was "no room" to keep Pakistan on the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) grey list and wondered if the body is a technical or a political forum.

The foreign minister's statement came a day after the watchdog retained Pakistan on its grey list despite the country meeting 26 out of 27 conditions. Pakistan was also given a new six-point action plan, keeping Islamabad exposed to global pressure tactics.

"Some powers desire to keep the sword of FATF hanging over Pakistan," said the foreign minister. 

The foreign minister said the global body acknowledged that Pakistan had fully implemented 26 points and had made progress on the 27th point - CFT (combating the financing of terrorism) - as well.

"In my view, in such a situation, there is no room to keep Pakistan on the grey list," FM Qureshi stressed. "It remains to be seen whether this forum (FATF) is being used for political purposes."

"I also think it is important to make it clear that whatever steps we take, are in our own interest. Our interest is that there should be no money laundering," he said and added that "We will continue to do what is in Pakistan's interest."

A day earlier, the FATF-- the global body working to combat the financing of terrorism and money laundering -- announced its decision at the conclusion of the watchdog’s five-day virtual plenary meeting under the German presidency of Marcus Pleyer.

Read more: India out to harm Pakistan at FATF: Qureshi

“The FATF encourages Pakistan to continue to make progress to address as soon as possible the one remaining CFT (combating the financing of terrorism)-related item by demonstrating that TF (terror financing) investigations and prosecutions target senior leaders and commanders of UN-designated terrorist groups,” according to the global body.

The remaining action item was the most significant in the view of the member countries, including the US and India, which have circled Pakistan through the FATF platform.

These countries have long been demanding through the FATF forum that Pakistan should target eight groups – the Afghan Taliban, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Haqqani Network, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation, al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

Pakistan had been placed on the FATF grey list with effect from June 2018 and was asked to implement a 27-point action plan to exit the grey list.