Financial Action Task Force puts Pakistan back on terrorist financing watchlist
A global money-laundering watchdog has placed Pakistan back on its terrorist financing watchlist, Indian media and a diplomatic source said on Friday, in a likely blow to both Pakistan’s economy and its strained relations with the United States.
The move is part of a broader US strategy to pressure Pakistan to cut alleged links to Islamist militants waging chaos in neighbouring Afghanistan.
It comes days after reports that Pakistan had been given a three-month reprieve before being placed on the list, which could hamper banking and hurt foreign investment.
Washington has spent the past week lobbying member countries of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to place Pakistan on the so-called “grey list” of nations that are not doing enough to combat terrorism financing.
Pakistan’s last-minute efforts to avoid being placed on the list, which included taking over bodies linked to a powerful Islamist figure, proved insufficient, India’s Republic news service and Times Now television channel said.
An official statement was expected later on Friday.
Pakistan was previously on the list for three years until 2015.
A non-Indian diplomatic source from one of the FATF countries confirmed that the group had decided Pakistan would be put back on the watchlist.
Earlier in the week China, Turkey, and the …read more
