The Foreign Office on Friday criticised Indian minister Arun Jaitley over his call for Pakistan to be added to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) ‘blacklist’, saying the statement validates Pakistan’s stance that India was politicising the proceedings at the forum.
“India has made several efforts in the past as well to politicise at FATF,” FO Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said, highlighting that calculated leaks were made to Indian media on several occasions regarding FATF proceedings, which are meant to be confidential.
“These call into question India’s credentials for co-chairing and being a member of the Asia Pacific Joint Group that reviews the progress made by Pakistan to implement the FATF Action Plan,” said the FO spokesperson.
India will ask Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to put Pakistan on a blacklist of countries that fail to meet international standards in stopping financial crime, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said.
The global money laundering and terror finance watchdog already has Pakistan on its “grey list” of countries with inadequate controls over curbing money laundering and terrorism financing.
“We want Pakistan downgraded on the FATF list,” Jaitley had told reporters, adding that the Paris-based FATF was due to meet in mid-May and India would make its request then.
The call came a day after India claimed a diplomatic victory with a UN Security Council committee blacklisting the founder of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) group, Masood Azhar.
