Pakistan will achieve all FATF targets in time: Qureshi

Islamabad: The Pakistan government will achieve all targets sets by the Financial Action Task Force in time to get the country out of the anti-money laundering watchdog’s grey list, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said as he accused India of trying to blacklist it.

Qureshi’s remarks came after the Paris-based FATF put Pakistan on notice on Friday, warning that it will be blacklisted if it does not control terror funding by February.

The FATF plenary noted that Pakistan addressed only five out of the 27 tasks given to it in controlling funding to terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen, responsible for a series of attacks in India.

“India has failed to get Pakistan included in the FATF blacklist. The country has been given various tasks until February 2020, Qureshi said, adding the government would achieve all targets in time and bring the country out of the grey list.

He said the FATF has recognised the steps taken by the government to control money laundering and terror financing.

The FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.

During the FATF meeting, several countries voiced concern on Pakistan’s failure to do enough to contain terror funding on its soil.

Referring to the anti-government protest being planned by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) on October 31, Qureshi said some people would never become part of any political instability in the country.

He said that political agitation would help India “to divert attention from Kashmir”.

Pakistan has been unsuccessfully trying to drum up international support against India for its decision to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and bifurcate the state into two union territories.

After India’s decision on August 5, Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with New Delhi and expelled the Indian High Commissioner from the country.

Rejecting Pakistan’s reaction, India has categorically told the international community that its move on Kashmir is an internal matter. India maintains Kashmir is a bilateral issue with Pakistan and no third party has any role in it.