NEW DELHI: New Delhi on Saturday welcomed the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decision to put Pakistan on its grey list at its plenary session which ended in Paris on Friday.
In a statement late Friday, the FATF identified Pakistan as a jurisdiction with strategic Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) deficiencies, while welcoming Islamabad’s plan to address the most serious deficiencies.
“India welcomes the decision of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to place Pakistan in its Compliance Document (Grey list) for ICRG monitoring,” said ministry of external affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. “Pakistan has given a high level political commitment to address the global concerns regarding its implementation of the FATF standards for countering terror financing and anti-money laundering, especially in respect of UN designated and internationally proscribed terror entities and individuals,” he said.
“The freedom and impunity with which the designated terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and entities like Jamaat-Ud-Dawaa, Lashkar-e-Tayabba, Jaish-e-Mohammed continue to operate in Pakistan is not in keeping with such commitments. We hope that the FATF Action plan shall be complied with in a time bound manner and credible measures would be taken by Pakistan to address global concerns related to terrorism emanating from any territory under its control."
China, which had initially opposed placing Pakistan on the list but later withdrew it saying it did not want to “lose face by supporting a move that’s doomed to fail,” on Friday lauded Islamabad for its anti-terror drive and appealed for international sympathy.
“Pakistan's efforts in combating terrorism have won not only China but also many countries in the international community,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang. “We have always believed that the great efforts and sacrifices made by the Pakistani government and people for the fight against terrorism are obvious to all. The international community must give full recognition and trust,” he added.
“China hopes that all parties will treat Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts objectively and impartially, instead of relying on criticism and pressure…The international community should treat Pakistan’s efforts objectively and impartially and give more recognition and support to Pakistan from the perspective of more effective counter-terrorism cooperation.”