Placing Pakistan on grey list: Malik urges FATF president to probe Indian FM’s confessional statement

ISLAMABAD: Former interior minister and chairman Institute of Research and Reforms (IRR) Rehman Malik urged Financial Action Task Force (FATF) President Dr Marcus Pleyer to investigate the confessional statement of Indian foreign minister by a special team of FATF to expose further truth.

“I also requested to review the decision of placing Pakistan on FATF’s Grey list which the Indian foreign minister has already termed to be taken under Indian political pressure and influence,” he said while addressing a press conference Tuesday. He said it was noted by the world that despite fulfilling 26 out of 27 FATF demands, the organisation did not take the name of Pakistan out of its Grey list.

During the press conference, Malik also urged the government to raise this issue of India hacking of smartphones using Israeli company’s spyware with the United Nations. “It is an issue of concern that India while using Israeli company’s spyware hacked smartphones belonging to journalists, government officials and human rights activists including Prime Minister Imran Khan and other Pakistani politicians,” he added.

He also unveiled his letter written to FATF president, which said “I am on record with FATF that India is behind keeping Pakistan in Grey list duly complained by the US and I had earlier apprehended that FATF was not going to take Pakistan out of its Grey list due to political pressure and influence by some countries”. He said this secret of keeping Pakistan continuously in the FATF’s grey list has been exposed by the Indian foreign minister’s confessional statement wherein he has stated that the BJP government led by Narendra Modi ensured that Pakistan remained on the Grey list of FATF and due to us, Pakistan is under the lens of FATF and it was kept on the Grey list. The former interior minister said Indian foreign minister’s confessional statement vindicates Pakistan’s firm stance that FATF is being politically influenced and has fallen for the negative propaganda by India against Pakistan. The Indian foreign minister’s statement also proves FATF bias, he added.

He writes that the confession of the Indian foreign minister has raised a big question on the integrity and transparency of FATF and the claim of the Indian foreign minister confirms India’s involvement in pushing Pakistan into the Grey list.

Malik writes “I would also like to express that despite clear evidence of involvement in terror financing, money-laundering, and even in heinous crimes of nuclear proliferation, India is being spared and no legal substantive action is being taken against it by FATF”.