ISLAMABAD: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), has alerted Pakistan totake concrete steps against groups allegedly linked to Hafiz Saeed to avertpossible tough sanctions in June this year.

Pakistan submitted its action plan with the FATF’s Asia Pacific group in ameeting held in Bangkok earlier this week but global body expressed itsdissatisfaction, raising objections to take concrete steps against LET, JuDand FIF proscribed by the UN Security Council, revealed one of seniorofficials who attended this important meeting.

The Bangkok meet asked Pakistan to put a new comprehensive action planwithin two weeks, alerting that the country might end up on the blacklistof the countries’ failing to prevent terror financing, he added.

“Yes, FATF seeks new comprehensive action plan from Pakistan,” confirmedFinance Minister Miftah Ismail. “This plan would be submitted with globalterror financing watchdog between June 8 and 11,” he told thiscorrespondent on Friday.

They want us to go hard on the LeT, JuD and FIF and other proscribedorganisations, the finance minister said that the watchdog wantedcomprehensive measures to curb terror financing of such militant groups, hesaid. “Pakistan’s new action plan would be discussed in Paris meet on June23,” Finance Minister Miftah Ismail added.

The government submitted its action plan on April 25 in response to FATF’swarning to put Pakistan on countries’ grey-list in February this year,informed officials said. “If the country’s new action plan on fightingterrorism financing does not deliver in June 23 Paris meet, Pakistan may beput on FATF’s black-list which would unnerve the country’s economy,” addedone of senior officials who was engaged in preparing Pakistan’s response atMinistry of Foreign Affairs. A high-powered delegation was sent to Bangkokfor briefing the forum about the steps taken by Islamabad against moneylaundering and terror financing.

“We presented our point of view before all the stakeholders as a last-ditcheffort to avoid falling into the grey list by next month — but we wereasked to come up with new comprehensive plan, official revealed that “weinformed stakeholders that the Finance Bill 2018 and some other piece oflaws helped the country to curb money laundering under mutual assistanceagreement with OECD and other bilateral countries.”

In its response, Pakistani informed officials said that counterterrorismauthorities have launched massive crackdown on three entities linked toHafiz Muhammad Saeed by freezing their property worth around a milliondollars and taking several other serious measures to block their funding.