Pakistan offers to multiply efforts for US-Taliban talks.

Byline: SHAFQAT ALI

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan Tuesday offered the United States to multiply efforts to engage Taliban for talks with Washington as Islamabad hoped to escape further action by the Financial Action Task Force, official sources said.

Senior officials at the foreign ministry told The Nation that Pakistan and the US agreed to engage Taliban in talks for peace in Afghanistan.

Ambassador Alice Wells, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, visited Islamabad for talks. She called on Finance Minister Asad Umar and held delegation-level talks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Officials said the two sides discussed possible talks with the Taliban and Pakistan's steps to avert severe sanctions by the FATF.

The Force had placed Pakistan on grey list during FATF Plenary in Paris in June for not acting against terror financing on its soil. The United States, Britain, Germany and France voted in favour of placing Pakistan on grey list during FATF meeting while Pakistan's closest allies Turkey, China and Saudi Arabia also backed them. Then caretaker finance minister Shamshad Akhtar and senior officials of the financial monitoring unit were in Paris to defend Pakistan.

Pakistan took steps in keeping with FATF regulations. On June 20, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan issued the Anti Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Regulations 2018, in compliance with FATF recommendations.

On June 8, Pakistan's National Security Committee also reaffirmed its commitment to cooperate with FATF in its fight against terrorist financing and money laundering.

The FATF was an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.

One official said: 'There is a consensus that talks with the Taliban would ensure peace. The US has asked Pakistan to step up efforts for a result-oriented dialogue with the militants.'

Another official said Pakistan told the US that it does not control the Taliban but can urge them to come to the negotiation table. 'We have made it clear to them that we have no control over the Taliban. However, we can use our influence to bring them to the talks table. This (such efforts) is on for several years. Pakistan believes there is no permanent solution except a dialogue,' he said.

Regarding the FATF, he said, Pakistan had complied...