The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) will undertake the next review of Pakistan’s progress in curbing terror-financing and money laundering when the plenary begins on February 21 in Paris, France.
Ahead of the review, the Baloch, Pashtun, Afghan, Uyghur, and communities from Hong Kong living in exile in France have announced to protest outside its headquarters in Paris on February 19.
“The protests are to remind FATF of its commitments and stop Pakistan’s role in terror financing and money laundering in the country and in neighbouring Afghanistan, and its nexus with China that lobbies for Islamabad to be not held accountable,” said exiled Pakistani journalist Taha Siddiqui from Paris.
The protesters will gather at around 2 pm (Paris time) for two hours, followed by refreshments at the Dissident club at 5 pm, said their social media post.
The Paris-based watchdog placed Pakistan in the grey-list in 2018 on its performance to address international concerns on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CGT).
In October 2021, FATF retained Pakistan on its grey list for non-compliance in one critical parameter out of the 27-point action plan that the country had committed to. Additionally, new action plan with six items had been drawn up to address the deficiencies noted in Pakistan’s 2019 APG Mutual Evaluation report.
Pakistan is making good progress and only four action items remain to be completed,” the FATF president said. “I thank the Pakistani government for their continued strong commitment to this process,” he added.
Pakistan is hopeful that it would get off the list. Pakistan’s Federal Finance Minister Senator Shaukat Tarin on Friday said that it was an “injustice” that Pakistan was not removed from the grey list of the FATF) despite implementing its 27 points, ARY NEWS reported.
“Any country who has implemented 27 points is removed from the FATF’s grey list but it is an injustice that the same precedent is not being followed in our case,” Shaukat Tarin said.
The finance minister, however, said that Pakistan would soon be removed from the grey list.
