Islamabad rejects media reports of Saudi 'role' in Pakistan's FATF assessment

ISLAMABAD: The foreign office on Thursday rejected rumours circulating in Pakistani media that Saudi Arabia had tried to negatively influence Pakistan’s assessment during an ongoing meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The global financial watchdog is currently holding a plenary meeting to decide whether to keep or remove Pakistan from a gray list or move it to a blacklist.
In 2018 the FATF placed Pakistan on its gray list of countries with inadequate controls over terror financing, and gave it a 27-step action plan to implement. Being placed on the black list would put Pakistan in company with Iran and North Korea and see it shunned by international financial institutions.
In a statement released on Thursday, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri “rejected” media reports about Saudi Arabia’s role in the assessment as “false and baseless.”
“Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong fraternal ties and the two countries have always cooperated with each other on all matters of bilateral, regional and international importance,” the statement said. “Pakistan greatly values its relations with the brotherly Saudi Arabia and firmly rejects such malicious propaganda.” 
It added: “FATF will announce its assessment of Pakistan’s progress on the Action Plan and the future course of action after conclusion of its Plenary Meeting.”
Rumours circulated on social media on Thursday that Saudi Arabia would vote against Pakistan at FATF and was urging other countries, including Turkey, to do the same.