Pakistan opposition questions Imran Khan-led govt on its 'failure' to exit FATF grey list

Pakistan opposition has questioned the Imran Khan-led government over its prominent failure to remove the nation from Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) grey list. As per news agency ANI, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA and former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf asked Pakistan Prime Minister Khan’s government to tell the National Assembly about the only condition which the nation had failed to fulfil to come out of its FATF grey list status. While answering the question, the country’s Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan on August 2 noted that the only condition left to meet for Pakistan is the prosecution of some individuals. 

Ali Muhammad Khan said that Pakistan has not been able to come out of the FATF grey list because of political reasons instead of technical grounds. He also added that when Imran Khan had taken a stringent stance of saying “no” then “the nation will have to definitely pay the price [for it].” Reportedly, the question about Pakistan’s status in the FATF list was originally asked by PPP's Shamim Ara Panhwar and it was deferred by the speaker during the May session. 

In the written reply to the question, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin addressed the assembly that the FATF had reviewed the country’s progress on its action plan in its plenary meeting held on February 25. Tarin had reportedly said that Pakistan had undertaken significant work to strengthen its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing  (AML/CFT) regime and address the strategic counterterrorism financing-related deficiencies.

"This work has been acknowledged by the FATF in its plenary statement by taking note of the significant progress made on the entire action plan and by largely addressing 24 out of the 27 action items in the action plan," the minister said, adding: "As of now, all the 10 action items pertaining to the financial sector and border controls have been addressed."

What all action items have Pakistan met?

With regards to terrorism financing investigations and prosecutions, Tarin said that six of the eight action items had been addressed. Meanwhile, as far as targeted financial sanctions, eight of the nine action items also stood addressed. The minister stated in his reply which had been submitted to the National Assembly Secretariat before the June 21 FATF plenary, “Pakistan has also made notable progress in the remaining three action items which also stand partially addressed. The progress on the remaining three action items is well underway with significant progress made so far and it is expected that Pakistan would complete the remaining action plan items by FATF plenary of June 2021 and would become eligible to exit from the grey list in accordance with FATF International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG) procedures.”

IMAGE: PTI

(With Agency Inputs)