ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Monday said the Indian foreign minister’s statement that the Narendra Modi government had ensured Pakistan remained on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list vindicated Pakistan’s stance on “India’s negative role” in the global financial watchdog. An FO statement said the Indian minister’s admission had exposed India’s “true colours” and “duplicitous” role.

“Pakistan has always been highlighting to the international community the politicisation of FATF and undermining of its processes by India. The recent Indian statement is just further corroboration of its continued efforts to use an important technical forum for its narrow political designs against Pakistan.

“While Pakistan has been sincerely and constructively engaged with FATF during the implementation of the action plan, India has left no stone unturned in casting doubts on Pakistan’s progress through disgraceful means,” the FO said, according to a Dawn.com report. A day ago, India’s Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, led by Narendra Modi, had ensured that Pakistan remained on the `grey list’ of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

“Due to us, Pakistan is under the lens of FATF and it was kept in the grey list,” Mr Jaishankar said at a virtual training programme on foreign policy for BJP leaders.

Federal Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar also hit out at India, saying its face had been “badly exposed” and it had “overplayed its hand”, because of which everyone now knew that it had one purpose — to politicise the FATF.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2021