New Delhi: Pakistan will continue to stay on the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) ‘grey list’ as the country needs to “further demonstrate” that action is being taken against UN-designated terrorists — India’s most wanted Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar, and groups led by them.
According to FATF president Marcus Pleyer, the decision was taken at the end of the organisation’s three-day virtual plenary. The global body against terror financing is slated to meet again in April 2022.
Pakistan continues to stay on the “increased monitoring list”, Marcus was quoted as saying at a virtual press conference from Paris.
“Pakistan has taken a number of important steps but needs to ‘further demonstrate’ that investigations and prosecutions are being pursued against the senior leadership of UN-designated terror groups,” said Marcus.
“All these changes are about helping authorities prevent terrorism, stop corruption and prevent organised criminals from profiting from their crimes,” said the FATF president.
Pakistan was included on the FATF grey list in June 2018 for not being able to check money laundering, leading to terror financing.
Islamabad was given a 27-point action plan by FATF that was to be completed by October 2019. The body added another six points later.
FATF has blacklisted North Korea and Iran over terror financing in 2019.
FATF added Jordan, Mali, Turkey to the grey list on Thursday. Bahamas, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Pakistan, Panama, Sri Lanka, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and Yemen are also on the list.
Two countries — Mauritius and Botswana — were removed from the grey list on Thursday.
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