23rd October, 2020
A global watchdog on Friday said Pakistan would remain on the terror financing watch list until it completely implements a set of preventive guidelines.
Also, Islamabad is urged to improve its financial controls.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an inter-governmental body, praised Pakistan for progress on 21 out of 27 recommendations but said the rest must also be implemented.
FATF President, Dr Marcus Pleyer said that Pakistan needs to do more at the conclusion of a virtual meeting in Paris.
The body reviewed the progress made by Pakistan since FATF put the country on its watch list in 2018 for allegedly failing to control terror financing.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said ahead of the decision that regional rival India was lobbying for downgrading the country to a more punitive blacklist.
The Asia Pacific Group, a regional affiliate of the watchdog, had recommended keeping Pakistan on the watch list because there were still risks of terror financing going undetected.
Pakistan’s powerful military is often accused of harbouring Islamist militants to use them as proxies against India and neighbouring Afghanistan.
There have been hardly any restrictions on terror groups like the Taliban and their affiliates from raising funds in Pakistan before the FATF pushed the country for better control.
dpa/NAN