Global terror financing watchdog, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), retained Pakistan on the ‘Grey List of countries’.

Key Points

• This time, the watchdog had added three new countries namely Turkey, Jordan & Mali, to the Grey List.
• As per FATF, there was no question of blacklisting Pakistan for now as Pakistan is cooperating and only four action items remain to be completed.
• FATF asked Pakistan to investigate and prosecute UN-designated terror terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar.
• It also asked Pakistan to address its strategically important deficiencies.

Background

FATF had retained Pakistan on its ‘Grey List’ in June 2021 as it failed to check money laundering, that lead to terror financing.  Pakistan was first placed on the Grey List in June 2018. Since then, it continues to be in this list as it fails to comply with the mandates of FATF.