ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua has raised concernswith the visiting US top National Security diplomat Liza Curtis about theFATF issue and insisted that US move was ‘unjust’, Tribune has reported.

The inclusion of Pakistan in the ‘grey-list’ is seen as part of broader USstrategy to pressurize Islamabad to do more in the fight against certainmilitant groups.

Discussions were candid and frank as Curtis – prior to joining the Trumpadministration – has authored a policy paper along with former ambassadorto the US Hussain Haqqani suggesting a new approach towards Pakistan.

The new approach envisaged tough measures including seeking Pakistan’sinternational isolation if it continued to use militant groups as proxiesto advance its strategic objectives.

The recent US move at the FATF appeared to be in line with that policy asPakistan was even abandoned by its closest allies – China and Saudi Arabia.

A senior official while requesting anonymity confirmed that Pakistan wouldindeed be placed on ‘grey list’ from June. The challenge now is to avoidgetting blacklisted, something that will have far more seriousrepercussions, the official admitted.

He said the FATF would now share a plan of action that Pakistan had toimplement in order to address what it says ‘strategic deficiencies’ to curbterror financing.

The official nevertheless insisted that the move was politically motivatedand aimed at undermining Pakistan’s economic progress.

It is believed that FATF wants Pakistan to move decisively against certaingroups including Hafiz Saeed’s charities as well as the Haqqani Network.

Pakistan has already amended the Anti-Terrorism Act allowing authoritiesgreater powers to move against groups that are designated as terrorists bythe UN Security Council under its resolution 1267.

The move that came just days before the FATF meeting in Paris made littleimpact on the final outcome of intergovernmental body’s meeting that setsglobal standards against the illicit finance.

Pakistan felt it was hard done by as the FATF placed it on the ‘grey list’without the final assessment of a ‘mutual evaluation,’ which was “anunprecedented move,” lamented the official.