Pakistanis Lambaste At FATF To Keep Country In Grey List

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided to keep Pakistan on the grey list despite implementing 26 out of 27 points, which was questioned by political leaders, journalists and people from other walks of life.

It may be recalled that FATF President Marcus Pleyer had said in a press conference that Pakistan has implemented 26 out of 27 points of the action plan for 2018 but a new action plan consisting of 6 steps remains to be implemented.

He said that Pakistan would be removed from the list but it would have to implement all the points of the new action plan and the remaining point of the first action plan..

Reacting to the FATF’s decision, senior journalists, politicians and activists took to social networking site Twitter to express astonishment and also questioned the FATF’s integrity.

Former President General (retd) Pervez Musharraf said in a Tweet that FATF is being used to blackmail Pakistan.

Pakistan has fully complied with 26 of the 27 points made by the FATF,FATF is being used against Pakistan as a blackmailing tool.
👎 #FATF

— Pakistan First (@APMLOfficial_) June 25, 2021

The Rockstar Ali Zafar also expressed surprise and asked if it is for real?

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For real ? #FATF https://t.co/OozKV4iFgK

— Ali Zafar (@AliZafarsays) June 25, 2021

Another user said that the credibility of the FATF could be questioned as it has been overlooked despite meeting Pakistan’s commitment and task force targets.

With Pakistan being more compliant than many countries not on the grey list, #FATF's own credibility is on the line and not Pakistan's. This time FATF has to prove that it's not a geopolitical blackmailing tool as suspected by many.

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— Asfandyar Bhittani (@BhittaniKhannnn) June 24, 2021

Jamaat-e-Islami Deputy chief Mian Aslam described it as a global conspiracy and said that Pakistan would be kept on the FATF’s grey list and it was a way to twist the arm.

“Our house is very much in order, no need to surrender our freedoms anymore,” he said.

Pakistan will continue to be in the #FATF grey list. It should be loud n clear to everyone that this is just a stick to twist the arms of those who decide not to submit to the exploitative global powers. Our house is very much in order, no need to surrender our freedoms anymore.

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— Mian Aslam (@MianAslam_) June 25, 2021

Popular VJ, Singer and TV Host Fakhr-e-Alam expressed disappointment and said that the FATF grey list is about something else and the people of Pakistan can see this.

Clearly #FATF grey list is about something else….the people of Pakistan can see through this. Extremely disappointing but Pakistan will remain committed to improvement. Together as a nation we can and we will Inshallah. #PakistanZindabad

— Fakhr-e-Alam (@falamb3) June 25, 2021

Senior analyst Jan Achakzai said that FATF is indeed a tool weaponised against Pakistan.

#FATF is indeed a tool weaponised against Pakistan.

I strongly condemn to keep Pakistan in the greylist. https://t.co/y7Xc4yebX6

— Jan Achakzai / جان اچکزئی (@Jan_Achakzai) June 25, 2021

Pakistan Poised To Complete Remaining One FATF Condition By October

Pakistan is poised to complete the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) new action plan on money laundering before the next plenary meeting of the body in October 2021.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad after the FATF decision, Federal Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar said, “The importance of FATF has increased significantly in the current situation. [And] FATF wants better monitoring of money laundering.”

Pakistan has implemented the most difficult FATF action plan and its efforts are being acknowledged by the member countries of the Financial Action Task Force, he said.

“FATF acknowledged that Pakistan implemented 26 of the 27 points and the one point left will be completed, as well. There is no threat of blacklisting; Pakistan will not be blacklisted, it will be whitelisted,” the minister added.

Earlier, addressing a press conference in Paris after the plenary meeting, FATF President Dr Marcus Pleyer said that Pakistan remains under “increased monitoring”.

“The Pakistani government has made substantial progress in making its counter-terrorist financing systems stronger and more effective. It has largely addressed 26 of the 27 items on the action plan it first committed to in June 2018,” he said.
Dr Pleyer said that the plan focused on terrorist financing issues, adding that the one key action item still needs to be completed which concerns the investigation and prosecution of senior leaders and commanders of the UN-designated terror groups.

Pakistan is still failing in effectively implementing the global FATF standards across a number of areas. This means the risks of money laundering remain high, which, in turn, can fuel corruption and organised crime, he said.
This is why the FATF has worked with the Pakistan government on new areas that still need to be improved as part of a new action plan that largely focuses on money laundering risks.

“This is about helping authorities stop corruption and prevent organised criminals from profiting from their crimes and undermining the financial system and legitimate economy in Pakistan,” he added.

He went on to say he wishes to “thank the Pakistani government for their continued strong commitment to this progress”.
According to the anti-money laundering watchdog, “In response to additional deficiencies later identified in Pakistan’s 2019 APG Mutual Evaluation Report (MER), Pakistan has made progress to address a number of the recommended actions […] and provided further high-level commitment in June 2021 to address these strategic deficiencies pursuant to a new action plan that primarily focuses on combating money laundering.”