ISLAMABAD: Pakistani law minister Farogh Naseem has said the country had done “everything” to be removed from a Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list and Pakistan’s case would now serve as a test of the “fairness” of the global financial watchdog.
Pakistan was placed on FATF’s grey list of countries in 2018 for inadequate terror funding and money laundering controls.
In June this year, FATF President Marcus Pleyer said Islamabad had made “significant progress” but there remained “serious deficiencies” in mechanisms to plug money laundering and terrorism financing.
The country was also handed another seven-point action plan to be implemented along with the original 27 points to exit the grey list.
Speaking to an international media outlet in comments published on Tuesday, Naseem said Pakistan had met 26 out of the 27 action points and now the country was “actually a test of FATF’s fairness.”
“The FATF people are good people. I'm not being critical against them,” the law minister said. “But as long as these (FATF) standards are universally applied, and not applied to only Pakistan, and as long as there is no international politics, then we welcome FATF. Let it be applied to everyone.”
Following the June review, Pakistan said it was committed to complying with the FATF evaluation process.
“It was also noted by FATF member countries that Pakistan is subject to perhaps the most challenging and comprehensive action plan ever given to any country,” Pakistani federal minister Hammad Azhar wrote on Twitter.
Azhar, who was then leading Pakistan’s effort to implement the FATF roadmap, said the country was “subject to dual evaluation processes of FATF with differing time lines.”
Last year, Azhar said FATF had acknowledged that any blacklisting, meaning further downgrading of the country’s status, was off the table now.
But Pleyer said in June the risk of Pakistan being put on the blacklist had not gone, and the country must continue to work on outstanding action points to fix its financial monitoring mechanisms.
Pakistan says done ‘everything’ to get off grey list, now test of FATF ‘fairness’
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Pakistan says done ‘everything’ to get off grey list, now test of FATF ‘fairness’
- Law minister says Pakistan has largely addressed 26 out of 27 items on a 2018 action plan by FATF
- Pakistan placed on grey list of countries in 2018 over inadequate money laundering, terror funding controls
Sri Lanka seal gritty T20 win over Pakistan to level series
- In a contest trimmed to 12 overs a side, Sri Lanka scored 160 runs before choking Pakistan to 146-8
- The series saw the visitors clinch the opener by six wickets before rain washed out the second game
Dambulla: Sri Lanka eked out a hard fought 14-run victory over Pakistan in the third T20 at rain-hit Dambulla on Sunday, easing their batting jitters and squaring the three-match series 1-1.
The series, a warm-up for the T20 World Cup with Pakistan set to play all their matches in Sri Lanka due to political tensions with nuclear-armed neighbors India, saw the visitors clinch the opener by six wickets before rain washed out the second game.
“We were a bit worried about our batting and I’m glad we addressed that today,” said Wanindu Hasaranga, who walked away with both Player of the Match and Player of the Series honors.
“The bowlers did a good job too. The ball was wet and it wasn’t easy. We tried to bowl wide and slow and asked them to take risks.”
Hasaranga took four wickets in the game and in the process completed 150 wickets in T20Is.
In a contest trimmed to 12 overs a side, Sri Lanka muscled their way to a competitive 160 before choking Pakistan to 146-8.
Having been bowled out inside 20 overs in the series opener, Sri Lanka needed a statement with the bat and duly ticked every box after being put in.
The top order laid the platform and the middle order applied the finishing touches.
Wicket-keeper Kusal Mendis made hay under the Power Play, blasting 30 off 16 balls while Dhananjaya de Silva (22 off 15) and Charith Asalanka (21 off 13) kept the scoreboard ticking.
Skipper Dasun Shanaka then swung the momentum decisively, clubbing 34 off just nine deliveries, peppered with five towering sixes.
The sixth-wicket stand between Shanaka and Janith Liyanage produced 52 runs in just 15 balls and proved the turning point, shifting the game firmly Sri Lanka’s way.
Pakistan came out swinging in reply, racing to 50 in just 19 balls with captain Salman Agha hammering 45 off 12 balls, including five fours and three sixes.
But once the field spread, Sri Lanka tightened the screws, applied the choke and forced the asking rate to spiral.
“It was a good game of cricket,” Agha said.
“We conceded too many runs, but our batting effort was good. Unfortunately, we fell short. We know we are going to play all our World Cup games in Sri Lanka and it’s important that we played in similar conditions,” he added.
