Pak may escape FATF blacklisting

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 18

In a setback to India, the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is all set to retain Pakistan in the grey list instead of relegating it to the blacklist, according to the trend of discussions at the inter-governmental body’s plenary meeting in Paris today. More details will emerge tomorrow when FATFA will make a public declaration, said sources.

The situation changed last month catching India off-guard after Pakistan fell in line with the US game-plan for Afghanistan and two FATFA members — Malaysia and Turkey — decided to back Islamabad after a spat with New Delhi over the lockdown in Kashmir. “We will be supporting Pakistan at the FATFA meetings, where Pakistan is subject to political pressure,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said last week.

Sources said in a drastic change of situation as compared with last year’s plenary when the entire western bloc seemed to be on the same page as India on blacklisting Pakistan, several countries now seem more interested in assessing Iran’s compliance with FATFA’s suggestions.