ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has firmly rejected the remarks made by the spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and dismissed the fabricated news reports in Indian media on Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary session.
The Foreign Office (FO) on Friday also completely rejected the MEA spokesperson’s terrorism-related allegations against Pakistan.
The Indian media had claimed another “extension” in Pakistan’s continuation on the Grey List due to “failure” to complete the Action Plan, in the recently concluded virtual FATF plenary session.
The FO said that Pakistan was prepared to present its progress report to FATF in the Plenary Meeting which was scheduled for June 2020. However, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, FATF decided on April 28, 2020, on a general pause for four months in the review process for a number of countries under ICRG (International Cooperation Review Group) assessment including Pakistan.
The FO made it clear that the agenda of FATF’s virtual plenary meeting, held on June 24, 2020, did not include Pakistan. In this virtual plenary meeting, no new decision regarding Pakistan was made.
The decisions taken by FATF in February 2020, plenary meeting regarding a number of countries, including Pakistan remain in effect. The evaluation of Pakistan’s FATF Action Plan would be made in the next plenary cycle of FATF, in which Pakistan would present its progress report, said the FO.
In this backdrop, reports in the Indian media insinuating that FATF has extended Pakistan on the Grey List are patently misleading and part of the incessant smear campaign by India against Pakistan, said the FO.
Pakistan has repeatedly drawn the attention of the international community towards India’s sinister attempts to use FATF process for its narrow political gains. Pakistan has also been raising the issue of India’s dubious credentials as an impartial and objective assessor of Pakistan’s progress on the FATF Action Plan.
India’s efforts to misuse the technical forum of FATF for discrediting Pakistan have been noticed by FATF members and are not appreciated by the international community.
The Foreign Office said that Pakistan remains committed to completing its FATF Action Plan and continues to make progress. “We hope that the FATF membership would take cognizance of India’s malicious campaign against Pakistan and reject any attempt at politicizing the FATF proceedings,” concluded the statement.
