'Indian media peddled fake news about FATF subgroup blacklisting Pakistan'

ISLAMABAD: Indian media peddled a fake news report that Pakistan has been put on a blacklist by the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) subgroup Asia-Pacific Group during its recent huddle in Australia, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said on Friday.

Speaking in ARY News talk show Sawal Yeh Hai, he said Indian media, unleashing propaganda against Pakistan, ran the fake news about Pakistan being blacklisted by the financial watchdog. He said FATF will meet in October this year.

About the situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Faisal said Pakistan has been fighting the Kashmir case on the diplomatic front.

Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had been talking to their counterparts in world capitals over phone to take them into confidence over India’s abrogation of Kashmir’s special status, he added.

Earlier today, the Ministry of Finance in a press release said that the reports in Indian media that Pakistan had been blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force’s APG (Asia Pacific Group) are false.

“Media reports circulating about Pakistan being blacklisted by APG is incorrect and baseless,” a press release said.

“[APG] has put Pakistan in its enhanced follow-up as per APG’s Third Round Mutual Evaluation Procedures. In line with APG’s Third Round Mutual Evaluation Procedures, Pakistan would be required to submit follow-up progress reports to APG on quarterly basis,” it added.

The APG in its meeting during the week of 18-23 August adopted Pakistan’s third mutual evaluation report.

The APG is a regional body of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and requires its members to undergo mutual evaluation on the compliance of its anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) framework with FATF recommendations.