FATF Calls Pakistan’s Bluff On Reprieve From Terror Finance Watch-List

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has denied that Pakistan has got a three-month reprieve from the global terrorism watch list. The FATF said it has yet to take a decision on whether to include Islamabad on its grey list, Hindustan Times quoted the body’s spokesperson Alexandra Wijmenga-Dan as saying.

“The FATF plenary started today, this is the decision-making body of the FATF. The outcomes will be published on Friday,” Wijmenga-Daniel said.

The US too confirmed the status, saying the FATF’s decision is expected later this week, indicating that Islamabad has probably jumped the gun.

“The final decision on that was due later this week, so I don’t want to get ahead of what that final decision would be,” state department spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters at Geneva. “I don’t have just independent confirmation that a decision was made early,” she added, addressing the daily briefing.

On 21 February, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khwaja Asif thanked ‘friends’ who helped Pakistan avoid a major international embarrassment in a tweet.

The FAFT spokesperson said Pakistan was one of those countries that the organisation is taking a close look at, adding that the outfit will share its decision soon.

The US has tabled a motion to reintroduce Pakistan to the FATF watch-list as its ties with Islamabad come under strain. The US has accused Islamabad of providing safe haven to terrorists. The motion is backed by Britain, France and Germany.

The move to place Pakistan on the watch-list will likely affect its economy. Pakistan’s nearly $300 billion economy, expanding at the fastest rate in a decade at above five per cent, could lose steam if it ends up on the FATF watch-list, from which it was removed in 2015 after three years, Reuters has reported.