Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Monday warned the global community that placing the country on the watch list of countries funding terrorism would be counter-productive and hamper joint efforts to curb terrorism, Radio Pakistan reported.

Iqbal's statements in Islamabad today come as a week-long plenary session of global anti-money-laundering watchdog the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is underway, where review proposals have been tabled calling for Pakis­tan to be put back on a list of countries which have failed to prevent terrorist financing.

If adopted the resolution would place Pakistan on the FATF grey-list of “jurisdictions with deficient anti-money laundering regimes”, where it was from 2009-15. In November 2017, the International Coopera­tion Review Group in Argentina adopted a resolution calling attention to Pakistan’s support to the Lashkar-i-Taiba, Jaish-i- Moh­a­mmad and affiliated groups like Jamaatud Dawa.

Pakistan’s de facto finance minister, Miftah Ismail, told Reuters last week that the United States and Britain had put forward a motion to place Pakistan on the FATF terrorist-financing watch list. Later, they also persuaded France and Germany to co-sponsor the move.

The interior minister today said that the move would hurt Pakistan's capability to fight terrorism, and questioned whose interests would be served by putting Pakistan on the watchlist.

He added that Islamabad has been diplomatically engaging different countries to apprise them of the measures taken in the war against terrorism, adding that he hoped the international community would recognise Pakistan's sacrifices in the war against terrorism.

The FATF is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1989 to develop policies to combat money laundering, but after 9/11 it has focused more on preventing terrorist financing.

Over 700 delegates from the FATF global network, as well as the United Nations, Inter­nati­onal Monetary Fund, World Bank and other partners, will attend meetings from Feb 18-23.

Pakistan hopes that China, which has supported Pakis­tan in the past, will rescue it again. Pakistan has also lobbied for support with Russia, Turkey and members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Opinion

Editorial

A positive note
Updated 10 Feb, 2025

A positive note

With govt unable to press growth accelerator without upending fragile recovery, sufferings of low-middle-income households are unlikely to disappear soon.
Justice for all
10 Feb, 2025

Justice for all

ALONG with his domestic agenda, Donald Trump is busy ripping to shreds the post-World War II ‘rules-based...
Held back
10 Feb, 2025

Held back

IT is a crying shame how women are conspicuously absent from Pakistan’s civil services. Despite comprising half ...
Race against time
Updated 09 Feb, 2025

Race against time

While some bright spots emerged at Breathe Pakistan moot, we must streamline our climate governance.
Open door
09 Feb, 2025

Open door

THE door is still open for talks, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has reminded the PTI. What matters, however,...
Football suspension
09 Feb, 2025

Football suspension

ONCE again, Pakistan has been ousted from the global football family. FIFA recently suspended the Pakistan Football...