FATF: Rational approach is needed towards Pakistan |.

Byline: Dr Muhammad Khan

THE Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has once again decided to keep Pakistan in its 'grey list'.

This practice is continuing despite hectic Pakistani efforts of addressing the key concerns of FATF ever since 2018.

In its current session, concluded on 25 February 2021 FATF decided to review the status of Pakistan in its next extraordinary plenary session of June 2021.

At the end of four-day virtual plenary session, the President of FATF, Dr Marcus Pleyer said, 'Pakistan remains under increased monitoring'.

The major concerns still needs to be addressed as underlined by FATF are; demonstrating that terrorism financing (TF) investigations and prosecutions target persons and entities acting on behalf or at the direction of the designated persons or entities, demonstrating that TF prosecutions result in effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions and demonstrating effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions against all 1267 and 1373 designated terrorists, specifically those acting for or on their behalf.

These three concerns have been designated by FATF as the strategically important deficiencies at the level of Pakistan.

Same deficiencies were observed by FATA in its last two plenary sessions of this organization.

On its part, Pakistan has taken extreme measures against terrorism and terrorism financing.

Army Chief General Bajwa during his visit to North and South Waziristan on 02 March 2021 once again stressed troops and locals, 'We have to remain vigilant and steadfast to thwart hostile attempts to create chaos and reverse the gains of Operation Raddul Fasaad.'

Operation Raddul Fasaad is an intelligence-based operation, primarily launched by Gen Bajwa himself to end the terror financing and eliminate the terror support among the masses.

Its results have been extremely good and Pakistan has done away with the menace of terrorism and terror financing from its soil.

The outcome of the Feburary-2021 plenary meeting of FATF is irrational, prejudiced, politically motivated, and coercive in nature.

It is amounting to exploitation and blackmailing of Pakistan on the same few invisible observations, which FATF calls strategic deficiencies.

It is to be noted that Pakistan was placed in the grey list of FATF once India initiated a move against Pakistan which was supported by the United States and Britain in June 2018.

It was a well-orchestrated planning against Pakistan for coercing it for not submitting to...