Qudrat Ullah
Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) placed Pakistan on the grey list in June 2018 for failing to implement effective measures to stop terror financing and money laundering in the country.
For the next two years, Pakistan made significant progress to address the legislative lacunas that were pointed out by the group.
In Feb 2020, FATF stated that the South Asian country had completed 14 out of 27 action items and urged Islamabad to complete the remaining points by June 2020.
Later in October 2020, FATF reviewed the plan and said that Pakistan will be placed on the list until Feb 2021; complying with only 21 out of 27 action points.
The country had taken many steps including the prosecutions of the leaders of banned outfits. Islamabad had successfully kept the nation from becoming blacklisted with the help of China, Turkey, and Malaysia.
The other main reason for the country being on the list was India, as S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister, in July 2021, said that Prime Minister Modi’s government ensured that Pakistan remain on the grey list.
The admission somehow exposed the politicization of the platform by some countries in their interest. Experts and analysts have also indicated that keeping Pakistan on the list was to ensure that the country cooperated with the United States on the Afghan front.
Where four years ago the country was fully or largely compliant with hardly 10 out of the 40 universal FATF recommendations, by June 2022, it now stands compliant with 34.
The FATF June meeting in Berlin reviewed Pakistan’s progress and at the end of the four-day plenary, FATF President Marcus Pleyer said, “the FATF has agreed that Pakistan has substantially completed its action plans at a technical level”.
The group acknowledged that Pakistan has successfully pursued terrorist financing investigations and prosecutions against senior leaders of UN-designated terrorist groups and money-laundering investigations.
President Pleyer said an onsite inspection by FATF in Pakistan would be done before October, and a formal announcement on Pakistan’s removal would follow.
Pakistan in its national interests has taken tough decisions by sentencing the leaders of banned outfits including the cases of Hafiz Saeed and Sajid Mir of Jama’at-ud-Da’wah (JuD).
The courts have sentenced many of the top leadership of banned groups for terror financing. The country’s parliament has passed many legislations regarding anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing.
The progress has put Pakistan on the path to exiting the “grey list” after 48 grueling months. The hope that the country will get off the list is rightly being celebrated as a “remarkable achievement” and a “monumental success”.
The leaders of the country including the Prime Minister and other politicians have hailed the achievement and the military has stated that it was a monumental effort paving the way for Pakistan’s whitelisting.
While many are claiming credit, it was not possible without the coordination of the institutions. Director-General ISPR in a tweet said that “A core cell in GHQ steered the national effort and civil-military team made it possible.”
Completion of FATF AML /CFT action plans by Pak is a great achievement. A monumental effort paving way 4 whitelisting. “Core cell @ GHQ which steered the national effort & civil – military team which synergised implementation of action plan made it possible, making Pak proud”COAS
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) June 17, 2022
The success which is enduring was made possible by the national efforts, and the same has been witnessed in the case of fighting the war on terror and bringing peace to the country.
These are the prime examples that can lead us to prosperity, in case the country’s leaders get together for a “national cause” it can steer the nation’s future in a better way.
*Qudrat Ullah is a freelancer and media activist. He writes on political developments and security issues with a special focus on South Asia and the region.
**The Diplomatic Insight does not take any position on issues. The views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Diplomatic Insight and its staff
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