FATF: Pakistan defeats Indian malice, escapes blacklist as watchdog acknowledges progress

With Indian exposed malice failing to have Pakistan rendered blacklisted on Friday, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has kept the country on the grey list appreciating the reforms it carried out, ARY News reported.

The FATF committee acknowledged Pakistani efforts in curbing all the erstwhile concerns flagged by the global terror-financing watchdog and has extended Pakistan a period until February 2021 to satisfy all of 27 concerns.

Pak has achieved impressive progress on its FATF action plan.
21 out of 27 action items now stand cleared. Remaining 6 rated as partially complete.
Within a year, we progressed from 5/27 to 21/27 completed items.
FATF acknowledged that any blacklisting is off the table now. 1/2

— Hammad Azhar (@Hammad_Azhar) October 23, 2020

Federal Minister of Industries and Production Hammad Azhar took to Twitter in the wake of FATF conclusion and asserted Pakistan has achieved “impressive progress on its FATF action plan”, and said that the watchdog acknowledges. “any blacklisting is off the table now”.

Instead of current Action Plan, discussions remained focused on how Pak can be facilitated for our upcoming 2nd evaluation (MER), due mid next year.
I congratulate our Federal and Provincial Teams who have worked day and night even during the pandemic to ensure this turn around.

— Hammad Azhar (@Hammad_Azhar) October 23, 2020

He congratulated government teams, both federal and provincial whose efforts and contribution came to fruition as they worked “day and night even during the pandemic to ensure this turn around”.

It may be noted that Indian lobby in the FATF, assisted with its allies, attempted to blacklist Pakistan despite the country’s incessant progress, however, the watchdog commended Pakistan on its speedy reforms carried out to come clean on erstwhile concerns.

READ: ‘India’s nefarious designs to push Pakistan into FATF blacklist will fail’

The committee, acknowledging Pakistan resolve and key reforms, has decided to keep the country on the grey list and advised it to do slightly more so whatever doubts remain can be quashed.

The Indian media, present in the session, having turned visibly pale as to have conceded a shock, ambushed the committee president with a number of questions betraying their panic.