WASHINGTON – Pakistan has made substantial progress on its first action plan of the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog by addressing 26 of the 27 action items, the US State Department spox said Monday.
Ned Price, spokesman for the United States Department of State, while briefing a presser in the country’s capital said Pakistan has made significant progress on its first action plan with 26 of 27 action items largely addressed.
The US encourages the South Asian country to continue working with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the international community to swiftly complete the remaining action item by demonstrating that terrorism financing, investigations, and prosecutions target senior leaders and commanders of UN-designated groups.
The US further encourages Pakistan to expeditiously implement its new second action plan, he added.
Earlier in June, the global watchdog had retained Pakistan on its grey list for ‘failing to check money laundering, leading to terror financing’.
On Sunday, Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar admitted the role of the Modi-led government to ensure that Pakistan remains on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
“It was due to the Modi government’s efforts that Pakistan was retained on the FATF grey list”, Indian media quoted the foreign minister.
“We have been successful in pressuring Pakistan and the fact that its behavior has changed is because of pressure put by India by various measures and PM’s personal efforts made at forums like G20 or G7 made nations realize that terrorism is everyone’s problem,” Jaishankar was quoted in Indian media.
Indian FM admits New Delhi s role in keeping Pakistan on FATF grey list
Following India’s admission on FATF politicization, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said evidence of Indian state-sponsored terrorism unveiled by Islamabad last year once again stood vindicated after an investigation concluded Lahore’s blast was orchestrated by the intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
Foreign Office on Monday had said that the remarks of Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar have exposed the true colors of India and also vindicated Pakistan’s longstanding stance on India’s negative role in FATF.
FM Qureshi responds to FATF’s decision of keeping Pakistan on grey list
