FATF Clearing Pakistan – Matter of Outlawed ORGs will be Seen According to National Conditions ; Hina Rabbani

Islamabad: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar has said that banned and outlawed organizations’ matter is our internal matter that does not fall in FATF conditions to clear Pakistan from Grey List. Pakistan will see it in accordance with our own local, national circumstances. She said this to a question from Pakistan in the World in a press conference held on her return to Islamabad. 

Opening Remarks by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs

As you are already aware, I led the Pakistan’s delegation in the FATF Plenary Meeting that concluded yesterday in Berlin, Germany.
During the meeting, the recommendations of FATF’s International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG) on Pakistan’s 2018 and 2021 Action Plans were discussed.

On 2018 Action Plan, this was consideration of our eleventh report to FATF. FATF has now acknowledged by consensus that all action items have been largely addressed by Pakistan. The 2018 Action Plan has been closed with no pendency of action on the part of Pakistan.

On 2021 Action Plan, which was mostly related to money laundering issues, Pakistan submitted three progress reports. I am very pleased to announce that Pakistan has completed the entire seven-point Action Plan a year ahead of the prescribed timelines. This swift pace and progress is indicative of the comprehensive reforms and actions that have been carried out by Pakistan in the AML/CFT domain and sustained momentum of our efforts. Pakistan’s positive and speedy progress was greatly appreciated and welcomed by FATF members.

FATF has acknowledged completion of both Action Plans by Pakistan, duly recognized our tremendous progress and commitment to improve our AML/CFT systems.
Consequent to the fruitful discussions held in the Plenary, the FATF decided, by consensus, that Pakistan has addressed all technical benchmarks and has completed all requirements of the both Action Plans. As a result of this remarkable achievement, FATF has now authorized an On-site visit of its technical team to Pakistan to validate whether the process of implementation of reforms.

The successful completion of the FATF Action Plans and its formal endorsement by FATF means that Pakistan has come a step away from exiting from the Grey List.

The On-site visit is a procedural requirement. It marks the beginning of the end-process that will eventually culminate in the exit of Pakistan from FATF’s Grey List. We are working closely with the FATF to arrange the On-site visit at mutually convenient dates with a view to conclude the entire process at the earliest and before the next FATF Plenary in October 2022.
During our interactions on the sidelines of the FATF Plenary, we stressed Pakistan’s high-level political commitment that has brought our AML/CFT framework at par with global standards. We have been highlighting the complete national consensus in Pakistan on this issue which is supported by institutional harmony and synergy.
I want to take this opportunity to stress once again that Pakistan’s cooperation with the FATF and the international community is grounded in our strategic objective of strengthening our economy and further improve its integration with the international financial system. I am confident that this good news from FATF will restore confidence in our economy, will give it a much-needed boost, and would improve investment climate.

I also want to acknowledge the tireless efforts of our teams who worked day and night to achieve our objectives and completed FATF Action Plans. This was indeed a whole of country response. Multiple ministries, departments and agencies, at all levels of the Government have contributed to this national cause. It also demonstrates that when we work together with a sense of purpose we can achieve remarkable things.

I also want to convey our gratitude to our international partners and friends for their understanding, support and cooperation throughout this process. By the Grace of God, Pakistan is in a position that not only can sustain its trajectory of reforms well into the future, but can also provide guidance and technical support to other countries in this area.

I am sure that we will be fully prepared during the On-site visit and will exit the Grey List at the earliest. Insha Allah!

Hina Rabbani concluded her 3-day visit (14-17 June 2022) to Germany today. During the visit, the Minister led Pakistan’s delegation to the plenary meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), held in Berlin. She also held meeting with her German counterpart, Mr. Tobias Lindner; German Parliamentary Secretary of State for Economic Cooperation and Development, Mr. Niels Annen; and Member of the German Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Juergen Cosse.

The Minister of State also held an interactive session with a diverse group of local journalists, representatives from think-tanks, media houses, former diplomats and academicians at an event arranged by the Mission in collaboration with the Federal Association of Economic Development & Foreign Trade and Korrespondenten Café. She also interacted with journalists from Deutsche Welle (DW), Die Welt, and other local media outlets.

On 16 June 2022, Secretary Tobias Lindner warmly received MoS Khar at the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and congratulated her on assumption of office. Both sides expressed the desire to further augment bilateral ties in all areas, in particular Climate Change, Green Energy, and Labour Mobility. The Minister of State stressed the need to enhance bilateral cooperation on Labour mobility and Technical & Vocational Training sectors.

Terming Pakistan as an important partner in the region, Mr. Lindner acknowledged Pakistan’s positive role in facilitating evacuations from Afghanistan. The Minister of State assured that Pakistan would continue to extend all possible assistance in this regard. She underscored the importance of continued humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan, with a view to averting economic implosion. She added that preventing economic meltdown in Afghanistan was imperative for achieving shared and common expectations of the international community towards promotion and protection of fundamental human rights.

Discussing the regional situation, MoS Khar drew attention to the gross and continued human rights violations by India in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. On Ukraine, she underscored the need to immediately end the conflict to prevent loss of life, and finding solution through dialogue and diplomacy. Highlighting three planes-load of relief assistance despatched by Pakistan to Ukraine, the Minister of State underscored the importance of humanitarian assistance to the affected people.

In her meeting with Neils Annen at the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Minister of State appreciated Germany’s role as one of the major development partners of Pakistan. Mentioning that Pakistan was one of the most affected countries from climate change, she called for strengthening bilateral cooperation in the sectors of renewable energy and climate change mitigation. MoS Khar emphasised the need to be focused in bilateral cooperation. In this regard, she added that Pakistan and Germany had complete alignment of interest on “clean energy” and that both sides could work towards win-win collaboration in this field. Both Ministers agreed that Climate Change, particularly cooperation and collaboration on clean energy, should be among the priorities in economic engagement and policy dialogue.

With Mr. Juergen Cosse, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Bundestag (Parliament), the Minister of State discussed bilateral parliamentary cooperation, as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest. Terming the EU’s GSP plus facility, a mutually beneficial arrangement for both Pakistan and the EU, Ms. Khar underscored the importance of its continuation beyond 2024.