ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has firmly rejected the remarks by the spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and outrightly dismissed the fabricated news reports in Indian media falsely claiming another “extension” in Pakistan’s continuation on the Grey List due to “failure” to complete the Action Plan, in the recently concluded virtual Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary session, ARY News reported on Friday.
The Foreign Office (FO) statement read, “We also completely reject the MEA spokesperson’s terrorism-related allegations against Pakistan.”
The spokesperson said that Pakistan was prepared to present its progress report to FATF in the Plenary Meeting which was scheduled for June 2020.
However, FATF decided on April 28 on a general pause for four months in the review process for a number of countries under ICRG (International Cooperation Review Group) assessment including Pakistan due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The agenda of FATF’s virtual plenary meeting, held on June 24 June, did not include Pakistan.
‘In this virtual plenary meeting, no new decision regarding Pakistan was made. The decisions taken by FATF in February 2020 plenary meeting regarding a number of countries including Pakistan remain in effect. The evaluation of Pakistan’s FATF Action Plan would be made in the next Plenary cycle of FATF, in which Pakistan would present its progress report.’
In this backdrop, reports in the Indian media insinuating that FATF has extended Pakistan on the Grey List are patently misleading and part of the incessant smear campaign by India against Pakistan, said FO.
Pakistan has repeatedly drawn the attention of the international community towards India’s sinister attempts to use FATF process for its narrow political gains.
Pakistan has also been raising the issue of India’s dubious credentials as an impartial and objective assessor of Pakistan’s progress on the FATF Action Plan. India’s efforts to misuse the technical forum of FATF for discrediting Pakistan have been noticed by FATF members and are not appreciated by the international community, it added.
The Foreign Office added that Pakistan remains committed to completing its FATF Action Plan and continues to make progress. ‘We hope that the FATF membership would take cognizance of India’s malicious campaign against Pakistan and reject any attempt at politicizing the FATF proceedings.’
