In simplest expression, Pakistan is struggling hard to avoid being placed on the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) black list. Having unable to satisfy the FATF previously, Islamabad has now submitted a report comprising explanation to nearly two dozen questions posed byFATF earlier. As learnt that the report prepared by Pakistan explains punitive actions against the groups which the United Nations has listed as terrorist organizations. The report also has a summary of figures quoting sentences handed to people belonging to such organizations them by the courts in Pakistan. Reintegration of people who were working for such groups including their re-employment and taking over of more than a hundred seminaries by federal government has also been highlighted in the report. The jointly prepared report which has the input of all ministries and departments including ministries of foreign affairs, interior, and finance, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), Financial Monitoring Unit, State Bank of Pakistan, National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and the Pakistan Army, will be put under scrutiny in the current month and January 2020. A five-member delegation from Islamabad has already attended an important meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Saturday (i.e. 7 Dec 2019) and presented a preliminary progress for review of Pakistan’s progress. The delegation would be trying hard to satisfy FATF by explaining methodologies of the State Bank of Pakistan and the Federal Investigation Agency to stop terrorism-financing in future and what Islamabad has done so far to improve upon mechanism to halt hundi-hawala and currency smuggling. Following these meetings to studyPakistan’s report and review further queriesraised by FATF, Islamabad would be required to submit a final compliance response by 20 December 2019. Thereafter, a meeting would be scheduled in Beijing in January 2020 to prepare follow up conditions. In February 2020, a categorical decision to remove Pakistan from the FATF’s grey list will be taken during plenary review meeting in Paris, France. The main issue for Pakistan remains the FATF questions about terror financing. Earlier, the watchdog had put forth, 27 inquiries pertaining to Pakistan’s efforts to stop terrorism financing. Islamabad hardly managed to satisfy the international task force over only five of them. After the October verdict, the government officials frantically tried to put together the humble performance by Islamabad in a document,but the 22 of the remaining questions continued to stare them in their faces. Unfortunately Islamabad has been carrying a very heavy baggage and it has been visible to everyone. As I have expressed in earlier columns as well that the governments in Pakistan remained perplexed and confused about using existing laws against proscribed organizations. It was not an acceptable scene for international community while candidates affiliated to these outfits and proscribed organizations not only contested the elections in Pakistan but also won their seats. The situation even became more complicated the superior courts granted bail and freed leaders of under-watch or banned outfits from house arrest. Definitely the decision was based on pure legal basis but it told another story to people looking at the country from outside. It is required that while unsnarling our feet from the FATF compliances, Pakistan must take on board the friendly members of FATF amongst the 36 members through aggressive diplomatic overtures. Pakistan cannot afford to be black listed at this junction in time This immunity and impunity was always observed as a witting freedom given to these organizations by government of Pakistan which India always held responsible for terror attacks on other side of border. While Pakistan repeatedly denied any official involvement in Indian occupied Kashmir and elsewhere, with such visible optics, India found it quite easy to propagate anti-Pakistan narrative that Pakistan will never make a serious attempt at dismantling infrastructure of proscribed organizations. Since Pakistan could not contradict existence of these non-State actors present on this side of Line of Control, the international community could not be satisfied even when Pakistan decided to ban the Haqqani Network (HQN), JamatUdDawa (JuD) and about ten other organizations in major turn of policy in June 2015. Despite this, FATF in its earlier conclusionscandidly conveyed Islamabad that although Pakistan has revised its TF (terror financing) risk assessment; however, it does not demonstrate a proper understanding of the TF risks posed by Daesh, Al Qaeda, JuD, Lashkar Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad, HQN, and persons affiliated with the Taliban. Pakistan has been on the Financial Action Task Force grey list since 2008. It got a little respite later but was again listed as grey in 2012 which continued till 2015. And thereafter it was once again included in June 2018. Pakistan’s financial sector had suffered drastically due to the country’s inclusion in the disreputable list. While Pakistan is fighting this legal battle, the policy makers in Islamabad continue to note that theFATF objections and demands are shaping the future internal including economic policy of Pakistan. Concerned departments and institutions in Islamabad are aware that the current legal onslaught and struggle by Pakistan falls in the domain of law fare where environment is shaped by leveraging international, regional and or domestic legal system. I am surethat something is being done somewhere by somebody to keep the country on course towards its strategic objectives such as CPEC. However it is required that while unsnarlingour feet from the FATF compliances, Pakistan must take on board the friendly members of FATF amongst the 36 members through aggressive diplomatic overtures. Pakistan cannot afford to be black listed at this junction in time. Islamabad hopes that the watchdog would not include Pakistan in black list. Government functionaries seems optimistic about possible extension of the current deadline to comply with remaining demands. Islamabad has already complained with the task force that the February deadline is too short and should be extended until June 2020 to present a meaningful progress. However, as revealed that Islamabad is already on an extension granted in October 2019 thus further extension might not be easy. Let’s hope that Pakistan escapes the horns of FATF without having to choose anything that is unpleasant and difficult for the government as well as people of Pakistan. The writer is a versatile analyst and a speaker on contemporary issues