FATF’s list

This refers to the editorial ‘Still in the grey’ (June 27). Despite the fact that Pakistan covered 26 out of the 27 items that it had to complete to get out of the grey list, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided to keep the country on the list. Pakistan has been asked to take more steps to counter terrorism financing and money laundering. The global watchdog has given six additional points that the country has to comply with. The FATF’s decision seems to be politically motivated. As mentioned in the editorial, Pakistan has made tremendous efforts in meeting FATF points. However, it overlooked one important point. We are also responsible for painting Pakistan as a corrupt country. Our leaders frequently say that $200 billion were looted from Pakistan by our politicians and stashed away in Swiss banks. They also say that this amount hasn’t been recovered. For the last three years, we have been continuously accusing certain politicians of being involved in money laundering – some of them are now facing cases in accountability courts. Under these circumstances, how can we expect to get out of grey list? The first step that the government should take is to put an end to this propaganda. We must put our own house in order. There are certain matters of national interest that shouldn’t be discussed publicly.

Mukhtar Ahmed

Karachi