ISLAMABAD – A delegation of FATF’s Asian Pacific Group is due to visitPakistan in April to deliver a list of requirements for an action plan tocounter money laundering and terror financing.

NACTA officials said that the financial watchdog has yet to providerecommendations or list weaknesses in Pakistan’s financial monitoringsystem. Most of FATF’s standards were met before the regulator held itsplenary meeting in February, they said.

Last week, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal lashed out at the US overcriticism of Pakistan’s alleged weaknesses. “Recent FATF action 2 put us ingrey is in violation of process & politically motivated 2 pressurizePakistan (to) follow Trump admin policies.Our successes against terrorism are recognized internationally,” he tweetedon Saturday.Defense analyst and former air vice-marshal Shahzad Chaudhry said thatPakistan should think strategically before confronting the US on itsdemands.

“Political manipulation will always take place if there is cleavageavailable to exploit that weakness,” he said.

However, Pakistani officials said that FATF’s decision would have no impacton the country’s $300 billion economy.

NACTA is working with departments to monitor and regulate the flow of fundsand to close loopholes exploited to launder money, including terrorfinancing.

The watchdog’s national coordinator, Lt. Cdr. Ihsan Ghani, said a taskforce formed last July would improve coordination between 27 agencies inPakistan.