FATF meeting: Is India an obstacle for Pakistan to get out of the gray list?

 FATF meeting: Is India an obstacle for Pakistan to get out of the gray list?

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that India wants to use the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) forum "for political purposes" and that India should not be allowed to use the forum politically.

In a statement, the Pakistani foreign minister said, "The FATF is a technical forum that should not be used to deal with political issues."

Keep in mind that Pakistan is among the gray list countries and the Pakistani government is waiting for relief from the FATF. But the foreign minister's statement complicates matters.

The FATF's plenary meeting on June 25 will decide whether to keep Pakistan on the gray list. The opinion of many experts and analysts in Pakistan indicates that Pakistan will be kept on the gray list with a little more flexibility, as has been the case in previous FATF meetings. However, the final announcement has to be made by the FATF itself.

 

Is India an obstacle to getting out of Pakistan's gray list?

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's statement on India ahead of the FATF meeting, which is currently reviewing the situation in Pakistan, has been the focus of attention, in which he has pointed to India's global "political role". Statements about it have been made before.

Now the question is to what extent can India influence Paki "(India) cannot be stopped legally," said Haroon Sharif, a former head of the Board of Investment. But the current situation seems to be going against Pakistan.

He pointed out two things: "Forums like FATF are technical. And they should be left as they are. Because not doing so is not good for the FATF's own reputation. Otherwise, the trust in the institutions will be eroded, which is happening because politics is being used.

Secondly, he said that Pakistan should have a representative or spokesperson for the FATF. He is referring to the fact that several government ministers are giving their views on this sensitive issue at the same time.stan's case in the FATF and can India be stopped legally?

"What is happening now is that many spokesmen and ministers are responding to political statements on the FATF," he said. This weakens our case in the eyes of the international community and benefits both parties. "

 He said that by watching and reading the news and analysis in the Indian media, one gets the impression that India is trying its best to keep Pakistan on the gray list. According to Haroon Sharif, "Earlier he tried to keep Pakistan on the blacklist but now he wants more questions and objections."

The BBC's Shakeel Akhtar in Delhi says that for the past three years, Indian media and statements from top officials suggest that Indian diplomats have been lobbying against Pakistan in both the Asia-Pacific Group and the FATF. ۔

Pakistan is a member of the Asia-Pacific Group but is not a member of the 40-member FATF where the final decision is made. India is a member.

Sushant Sareen, India's security analyst, says member countries cannot leak any consultations and discussions in the FATF outside the forum. "Therefore, all the news that comes from there comes through 'sources'. No country talks about it directly.

Sushant added that India certainly lobbies for the prevention of terrorism but Pakistan also lobbies for a decision in its favor. This means that every country is active for its own benefit at some level.

What has been happening at the FATF meeting so far?

Although the Asia Pacific Group (APG), which monitors money laundering, suggested more surveillance to Pakistan in its second follow-up report, it also appreciated Pakistan's compliance with the recommendations.

According to the report, the agency had urged Pakistan in its February meeting to implement three key recommendations, including punishing terrorists, prosecuting them and restricting financial assistance.

The agency also sought evidence from Pakistan on the legal application of the ban on terrorist financing. As evidence, Pakistan's federal government submitted a report in May detailing operations against 12 terrorist organizations.

The June 25 meeting is significant for Pakistan because Pakistan believes that after implementing most of the recommendations, it is time to do more or remove the Dow Moore sword from Pakistan.

But now Pakistan's foreign minister is voicing concerns about India lest the body, which talks on technical issues, fall victim to political and diplomatic squabbles.