ISLAMABAD – Foreign Office of Pakistan has confirmed that in June Pakistanwill be placed in the ‘grey list’ of the Financial Action Task Force(FATF). This is indeed the watch list of the countries, where ‘bannedmilitant outfits have allegedly been raising funds.’
The FO spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal revealed that “Pakistan will beassigned to the ‘grey list’ in June, once an action plan has been mutuallynegotiated.” This Paris based organization, ‘Financial Action Task Force’commonly known as FATF is indeed an inter-governmental body.
Ever since its establishment in 1989, FATF has been stick to itsobjectives; Setting standards and promoting effective implementation oflegal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering,terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of theinternational financial system.’
As a policy making body, FATF, has been formulating its recommendations forcombating money laundering and terror financing. Last set of recommendationof the FATF came in 2012. However, as per February 23, 2018 statement ofthe FATF, there are nine countries, placed on the grey list of the taskforce with the word that, Pakistan will be placed in it in June 2018.
Since there is a regular monitoring of finances for terror by FATF, thuscountries names are added and removed from this list per their performance.Members of FATF regularly meet to review the performance of countriesthrice a year.
After having gone through the last eighteen years history of FATF, one getthe impression that, mostly the third world countries have been part of thewatch lists of this inter-governmental organization. Above all, thecountries with domestic instabilities, mostly caused by external factor andprobably those of US aversions have constituted the list more often andprominently. Pakistan has been on its grey list earlier from 2012 to 2014.
One of the lacking on the part of FATF is that, it is quick in placing thecountries on its various lists; but, it has never tried to seek aconfirmation from the effected country, prior to blacklisting it. Further,it gets data from third party, the interest group(s).
Though ‘FATF relies on a strong global network of FATF-Style RegionalBodies (FSRBs), apart from its own 37 members, yet, the countries like USand its partners all over do have an influence over the organization todeclare any country black, grey or white. In a way, it is an exploitativeforum for the countries which some do not toe the US line of actionsregionally or internationally.
In the case of Pakistan, the FATF decision to place it on its watch list(grey list) in June 2018 is prejudiced and highly influenced andmanipulated by US and India. The militant organizations in Pakistan werebanned on a number of occasions. Since Pakistan has been the worst suffererof the terrorism and have lost over 70,000 lives ever since 2001, thereforeblaming and listing it among the countries, financing terror or whereterrorists organizations are collecting funds is a clear discrimination.
Yes, Pakistan could not arrest and punished people like Hafiz Saeed on theIndian and US demands, since there was no evidence against him. He was keptunder arrest many a time, but courts set aside such decisions. Any actionsbeyond this would have been the violation basic fundamental rights andConstitution of Pakistan.
Pakistani track record of crackdown against terrorist organizations andcombating the terrorism has been unmatched. It has not only dismantled theterrorist’s strongholds but also through intelligence based operationsarrested and taken actions against the financers and abettors of terroristsand terrorist organizations. Following Operation Zarb e Azb, the countrywide “Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad” is being carried out to indiscriminatelyeliminate the “residual/latent threat of terrorism”.
The root of terrorism and terrorists, finances being the major area is themain target of Operation Radd ul Fasaad.The world and particularly United States should have recognized thePakistani contributions against terrorism. United Sates and NATO could notmake any visible progress towards curbing militancy and militant bases inAfghanistan ever since 2001. Rather accusing Pakistan and placing it in thewatch list of FATF, US should ask Afghan Government to dismantle theterrorists’ hideout in Afghanistan. Through these hideouts, terroristsattack Pakistani posts and even inside populations.
The double standard of US are quite prominent; it has tried to pressurisePakistan on various fictional allegations. Upon refusal of Pakistan tosubmit in front of these baseless accusations, US along with India reachedover to FATF for including Pakistan in the grey list of FATF. While this isbeing done on one hand, on the other, US military General and some otherofficials are trying to re-engage Pakistan. US Marine General JosephDunford and Commander US Central Commander have sought positiverelationship with Pakistan.
At this critical time, Pakistan need to stabilize its domestic frontthrough; curbing militancy and by bringing a broader consensus among thepolitical parties on the issues of national interest. Pakistan needs tomindful of its interest driven friends, who betrayed it on many occasions.There is a need of reorientation of its foreign policy, through pro-activediplomacy and political engagement at regional and global level. Pakistanmust also expose those international and regional forces, who contributedtowards promotion of terrorism inside Pakistan.
Dr Mohammad Khan — The writer, Professor of Politics and InternationalRelations, is based in Islamabad.