Pak Upper House approves bills to help stay off FATF grey list

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while speaking in the Senate, said approval of two important bills from the National Assembly and the Senate has foiled India’s intentions to push Islamabad into FATF’s blacklist.

“Today, the Lower and the Upper House of this country have foiled India’s longstanding desire to see Pakistan in the FATF black list,” he said.

“Pakistan had undertaken this legislation in compliance of its obligations to implement the International Court of Justice’s judgment in Indian spy Kulbushan Jadhav case,” he added.

The minister also expressed confidence that after the legislation, Pakistan would stay off the FATF’s grey list.

The bills were tabled in the Senate after being approved and passed by the Senate’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice, during which it was questioned whether the FATF had set the amendments as a term or was it brought forward due to loopholes in the existing laws.

“These are part of the terms of the FATF,” maintained the special secretary to the Foreign Minister while responding to the senators.

The legislation is aimed at empowering the federal government to direct authorities in Pakistan to implement various measures in the UN Security Council resolutions, which include freezing and seizure of assets, travel ban and arms embargo on the entities and individuals, who are designated on the sanctions list of the United Nations.

Pakistan has remained on FATF’s grey list for failing to implement and comply with the 27-point action plan that it was handed over by the Asia Pacific Group (APG) and the FATF.

Till now, government sources said that there is complete compliance of at least 16 out of the 27 points, adding that the approval of legislation would help in fulfilling the remaining and pending compliances, paving the way to ensure Pakistan’s removal from the FATF grey list.

–IANS<br>hamza/arm