Daily Times

The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday slammed Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s statement who had admitted that Modi regime played role in keeping Pakistan on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

“In response to the media queries regarding Indian External Affairs Minister’s statement of July 18, 2021, regarding India’s disagreeable role in the grey listing of Pakistan by FATF, the spokesperson said that the Indian statement not only exposes its true colours but also vindicates Pakistan’s longstanding stance on India’s negative role in FATF,” the Foreign Office said in a statement. “Pakistan has always been highlighting to the international community the politicization of FATF and undermining of its processes by India,” it further said.

“The recent Indian statement is just further corroboration of its continued efforts to use an important technical forum for its narrow political designs against Pakistan. While Pakistan has been sincerely and constructively engaged with FATF during the implementation of the Action Plan, India has left no stone unturned in casting doubts on Pakistan’s progress through disgraceful means,” the Foreign Office said.

“Pakistan has been exposing India’s duplicitous role to the international community in the past and it will also bring this recent confession by India to the notice of FATF and broader international community,” the spokesperson said. “Pakistan is also considering approaching FATF president for an appropriate action in this matter,” it added.

“Following the recent confession by Indian government, India’s credentials for assessing Pakistan in FATF as co-chair of the Joint Group or for that matter any other country are subject to questions, which we urge FATF to look into,” the Foreign Office maintained. “Pakistan’s immense progress in AML/CFT domain demonstrated through concrete, tangible and verifiable actions has been openly acknowledged by FATF,” it further said. “We are resolved to sustain this momentum and trajectory with the support and cooperation of our international partners. India’s delusions of putting pressure on Pakistan have always remained unfulfilled and would never see the light of day,” it added.

“Despite distractions including politicization of FATF processes by certain jurisdictions, Pakistan re-affirms its commitment to bring its AML/CFT systems to international standards for its own good and also to fulfill its international obligations and commitments,” the Foreign Office concluded.

Meanwhile, Federal Energy Minister Hammad Azhar tweeted that Jaishankar’s statement “only confirms what Pakistan has been saying all along”. “India actively politicises & undermines the technical processes & spirit of FATF,” tweeted Azhar. He added that Pakistan’s “progress is nevertheless undeniable” and vowed that Islamabad “shall soon” complete both its action plans.

A day ago, Jaishankar had said the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Narendra Modi ensured that Pakistan remained on the ‘grey list’ of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Hindustan Times had reported. “Due to us, Pakistan is under the lens of FATF and it was kept in the grey list,” Jaishankar was quoted as saying while addressing a virtual training programme on foreign policy for BJP leaders. “We have been successful in pressurising Pakistan and the fact that Pakistan’s behaviour has changed is because of pressure put by India by various measures,” he had added.

During the session, the minister also credited the Indian government’s efforts “through the United Nations” for sanctions on proscribed organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, according to the report.

The FATF had on June 25 announced that Pakistan will continue to remain on the watchdog’s “increased monitoring list” till it addresses the single remaining item on the original action plan agreed to in June 2018 as well as all items on a parallel action plan handed out by the watchdog’s regional partner – the Asia Pacific Group (APG) – in 2019. The addition of a new action plan alongside the original one, which Pakistan had completed except for one agenda item, had raised eyebrows among analysts and observers, who said the goalpost was being shifted for Pakistan despite its high level of compliance.