Pakistan optimistic as FATF review nears

• ATC on Wednesday, sentenced Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and his aide, Malik Zafar Iqbal, to five-and-a-half-year imprisonment for terror financing.
• The FATF's five-day plenary session begins in Paris from February 16.

Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) expressed optimism over the upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) review, as the intergovernmental organization reviews Pakistan's measures at the meeting that begins on February 16.

In a weekly presser on Thursday, FO Spokesperson Aisha Farooqi said that “our international partners are standing with us.”

The statement comes after an Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) on Wednesday, sentenced Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and his aide, Malik Zafar Iqbal, to five-and-a-half-year imprisonment for terror financing.

Earlier, on Wednesday the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar stressed that his team remain committed to complete FATF Action Plan.

“Pakistan remains committed to the earliest completion of its FATF Action Plan,” said Azhar in a tweet post. The minister added that the FATF Plenary is a technical process. “Irrespective of and without speculating on any final decision at the plenary, we look forward to acknowledgement of significant progress that Pakistan authorities have made,” he said.

The FATF's five-day plenary session begins in Paris from February 16. As per details, it will be decided at the meeting whether Pakistan will remain on the grey list or will leave it.

Reports indicate that despite the opposition by the rival neighbor India during the FATF meeting in Beijing last year, the United States, the European Union, has supported Pakistan for its measures taken to counter anti-money laundering and terror financing.

Meanwhile, Pakistan already enjoys a strong support from neighboring China, and friendly countries namely Turkey and Malaysia. On a back of a strong diplomatic campaign, Pakistan is optimistic to garner support from more countries, as the country needs 12 out of 39 votes to exit the grey list and enter the white list.

Pakistan was cleared of 14 points out of 27 at the Asia Pacific Group meeting held in Beijing, China from January 21 to January 23. FATF added Pakistan to the grey list in June 2018. After that, Pakistan ensured implementation of most points and action plans.