FATF deadline: India reminds Pakistan to act soon on curbing terror financing 

Pakistan continues to train and fund terror groups, like Masood Azhar’s Jaish-e-Muhammed.

New Delhi: India is expecting the Pakistani government to fully comply with the action plan set out by global body Financial Action Task Force (FATF) by September 2019, which is less than three months from now, to show progress on curbing terror financing.

The FATF plenary session in Orlando, US, on Friday, told Pakistan that it could face a blacklisting (next step) in its next session in October, if it did not follow a 27-point checklist on bringing stricter laws to curb the access of funds to terror groups inside the country, including IS, al-Qaida, Lashar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammed and issued a stern statement at the end of its outcome document as Pakistan had missed two action plan deadlines already.

Meanwhile, the spokesman for the ministry of external affairs, Raveesh Kumar, reacting to the statement, on Saturday, said, “To take all necessary steps to effectively implement the FATF Action Plan fully within the remaining time frame, that is, by September 2019, in accordance with its political commitment to the FATF and take credible, verifiable, irreversible and sustainable measures to address global concerns related to terrorism and terrorist financing emanating from any territory under its control.”

Pakistan was put on the “grey list” in 2018, the second time it has been on the list since 2012-2015.

However, hoping for a clean chit from the FATF in order to stave off its current economic crisis, Pakistani finance ministry, on Saturday, issued a statement that said: “The Government of Pakistan reiterates its commitment to take all necessary measures to ensure completion of the Action Plan in a timely manner. [Sic]”

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