India has been “politicising” the proceedings at the FATF against Pakistan, the Foreign Office claimed Friday, a day after the Indian government said it seeks downgrading of Pakistan on the global watch dog’s terrorism financing list.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Thursday that Indiawill ask the global money laundering and terror finance watchdog to putPakistan on a blacklist of countries that fail to meet international standardsin stopping financial crime.
“We want Pakistan downgraded on the FATF list,”Jaitley told reporters in New Delhi, adding that the Paris-based FinancialAction Task Force (FATF) was due to meet in mid-May and India would make itsrequest then.
“The statement re-confirms Pakistan’s longstandingconcerns that this technical forum is being politicised by India againstPakistan,” Pakistan Foreign Office said.
“India has made several efforts in the past as well topoliticise the proceedings at FATF,” it said in a statement.
The last plenary of the FATF in February decided to continueto keep Pakistan in the “grey list” of countries whose domestic lawsare considered weak to tackle the challenges of money laundering and terrorismfinancing.
The Foreign Office claimed that prior to the FATF plenarymeeting in February 2019, India circulated its own assessment of Pakistan’sprogress and solicited immediate support for “blacklisting”Islamabad.
On several previous occasions, calculated leaks were made tothe Indian media about the proceedings of the FATF, which are strictlyconfidential, it said. The Foreign Office said these “instances ofpoliticisation” by India were brought to the attention of the President ofFATF by the Finance Minister of Pakistan.”India’s attempts to politicise theproceedings in FATF against Pakistan call into question its credentials forco-chairing and being a member of the Asia Pacific Joint Group that reviews theprogress made by Pakistan to implement the FATF Action Plan,” it said