Task force’s next meeting’s agenda: Malik urges FATF to include Jai Shankar’s statement

ISLAMABAD: Former interior minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Senator Rehman Malik said on Tuesday he had written a letter to Financial Action Task Force (FATF) president in which he demanded that a special team be constituted to investigate Indian Foreign Minister Jai Shankar’s (FM) statement in which he had said that India made it sure that Pakistan’s name was not removed from the grey list.

Addressing press conference in Islamabad, he said he had also demanded FATF president to include Indian FM’s statement in the task force’s next meeting’s agenda since it had dented the credibility of the organisation and put question marks over the actions it had taken against Pakistan recently. “Now when India has confessed its role, the FATF should immediately delete Pakistan’s name from the grey list,” he demanded.

Former interior minister said he strongly condemned FATF’s partial and discriminatory attitude towards Pakistan. “The dual standards practiced by the task force against Pakistan stand exposed,” he commented.

“I have been saying from the day one that India has a role in putting Pakistan’s name on the grey list,” Malik asserted. He regretted that an international forum like FATF was used for political purposes.

Regarding Das bus bomb blast, former interior minister said that the country’s agencies had found proofs of India’s direct involvement in the incident. “Both Pakistan and China should raise the Dasu incident at the United Nations (UN),” he opined.

He further said India did not want peace in Afghanistan because it knew fully well that if peace returned to the landlocked country.

PPP senator said that he was seeing Taliban taking control of Kabul whether through force or reconciliation.

He asked the government to increase security of the Chinese citizens living in Pakistan. “India is tapping the phone calls of our prime minister and other high-profile figures,” he said, and added, “I had warned of cyberattacks by India long time back.”

Malik said it was unfortunate that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani kept issuing statements against Pakistan. “This is despite the fact that Pakistan’s sacrifices for the restoration of peace in Afghanistan outnumber the sacrifices given by other countries,” he regretted.

Former interior minister said he thought that civil war might break out in Afghanistan anytime soon. “Therefore, I implore the world powers to play their role in preventing this from happening.”

He also advised the government of Pakistan not to let Afghan refugees spread to different parts of the country this time, but to restrict them to their camps.

PPP senator said he strongly condemned the kidnapping of Afghan ambassador’s daughter. “And since she is our daughter and guest, the incident should be thoroughly investigated,” he demanded.