ISLAMABAD: Former interior minister Rehman Malik has written a letter to FATF President Dr Marcus Pleyer, seeking a probe into India’s role in keeping Pakistan on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

He has also written a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan urging him to file a petition in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against FATF’s discrimination and continued victimisation of Pakistan.

In his letter to the FATF president, Mr Malik, who is also chairman of the Institute of Research and Reforms, called for investigating the confessional statement of the Indian foreign minister by a special team of FATF to expose the truth.

He said India was behind keeping Pakistan in the grey list, adding FATF was not taking Pakistan out of the grey list due to political pressure and influence by some countries.

In his confessional statment, the Indian foreign minister stated: “Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Narendra Modi 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 is kept on the grey list.”

Mr Malik said the confession by the Indian foreign minister had raised a big question on the integrity and transparency of FATF and confirmed the Indian involvement in pushing Pakistan into the grey list.

“Unfortunately, FATF has not yet moved any action against Indian minister to prove the neutrality of FATF,” he said.

“Despite clear evidence of involvement in terror financing, money laundering and even in heinous crimes of nuclear proliferation, India is being spared and no legal action is being initiated against it by FATF,” the letter added.

He noted that some inimical countries were using FATF as a tool to put Pakistan under pressure with ulterior motives.

In his letter to the prime minister, he said the continued victimisation of Pakistan by the FATF was of great concern to the people of the country since it was not only damaging its economy but also its credibility internationally.

He said Pakistan has been on the grey list since June 2018 and in every plenary session FATF decides that Pakistan will continue to remain on the grey list.

He said it was discrimination against Pakistan especially when its compliance was more than 88pc in fulfilling the demands of FATF.

He said it was strange that many other states with more non-compliance to FATF were enjoying absolute immunity. “USA has non-compliance of 22.5pc, France 2pc, Israel 12.5pc and Japan 27.5pc but none of these states is placed on the grey list.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2021