Islamabad, Pakistan has been officially put on “grey list” by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which combats money laundering and terror financing among other things, over failing to curb terror financing on its soil, the media reported.
According to a report in Dawn online, the announcement was made late on Wednesday night at the FATF plenary session in Paris.
A Pakistani delegation, led by Interim Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar, apprised FATF of steps taken to combat terror financing and money laundering and pleaded with it not to put the name of Pakistan on the grey list, Geo News reported.
The FATF announcement came a day after Islamabad submitted a detailed 26-point action plan to the body to choke funding of militant groups, including Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led JuD and its affiliates, reports say.
The decision to put Pakistan in the “grey list” was taken in February but then the country was given relief till June to combat the issue.
Pakistan was also included in the list from 2012 to 2015.
Islamabad claims that in compliance with FATF’s recommendations, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan issued the Anti Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Regulations on June 20.
Before that, the country’s National Security Committee reaffirmed its commitment on cooperating with FATF for achieving “shared objectives”.
Pakistan’s caretaker Interior Affairs minister Azam Khan said the watchdog was under pressure from the US and India, both of which together also compelled Turkey, Saudi Arabia and China to agree to the move.
Islamabad has been scrambling in recent months to avoid being added to a list of countries deemed non-compliant with anti-money laundering and terrorist financing regulations by FATF, a measure that officials here fear could hurt its economy, which is already under strain.
