Pakistan unlikely to exit FATF’S grey list: Report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan may remain on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as it has been unable to comply with six of the 27 points in the global terror financing and money laundering watchdog’s action plan, a media report said on Wednesday.

The Paris- based global watchdog is holding its virtual plenary session on October 21- 23. It will review Pakistan’s progress on the 27-point action plan.

The FATF had placed Pakistan on the grey list in June 2018. “The country will succeed in exiting the FATF’S grey list by June next year,” The Express Tribune reported, quoting diplomatic sources. It said the country has managed to avert being blacklisted.

The International Cooperation Review Group of the FATF has acknowledged that Pakistan had complied with 21 points of the action plan, the report said.

Seeking to wriggle out of the FATF’S grey list, Pakistan in August imposed financial sanctions on 88 banned terror groups and their leaders, including 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamaat- udDawa chief Hafiz Saeed, Jaishe- Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

It won a three-month further extension to complete FATF’S 27-point action plan because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The deadline was June this year, but the FATF extended it due to the postponement of its plenary over Covid- 19. In February, the FATF gave Pakistan a four- month grace period to complete its 27- point action plan against money laundering and terror financing committed with the international community.

Army chief orders probe into police chief’s kidnap

Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has ordered an inquiry into the kidnapping of Sindh police chief Mushtaq Mahar by paramilitary Rangers Force to compel him to sign orders that had led to the brief arrest of Muhammad Safdar Awan, the son-in-law of exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Safdar was arrested on Monday by Punjab police that forcibly entered his hotel room in Karachi, where he was staying with his wife and PML- N vice- president Maryam Sharif after a massive rally a day earlier, organised by Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). PDM alleged the arrest came after Mahar was abducted and made to register cases against Awan and 200 others including Maryam Nawaz for sloganeering at the mausoleum of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

The probe came after more than 20 senior provincial police officers including Mahar went on leave to protest against the abduction. Mahar later withdrew his leave application.