Senator Rehman Malik writes letter to FATF president, pleas to remove Pakistan’s name from grey list

Islamabad: Former Interior Minister and Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator A. Rehman Malik on Thursday has written a letter to Financial Action Task Force President Dr Marcus Pleyer, pleading him to remove Pakistan from FATF’s Grey List and take action against India for money laundering and terror-financing.

He Malik made the letter public while addressing a press conference and said that he terms it a discriminatory treatment with Pakistan as compared to India for not proceeding against it despite of evidence.

In his letter Senator A. Rehman Malik writes that he would like to refer to his earlier letters wherein it was requested to remove the name of Pakistan from the Grey List of FATF and take action against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for protecting international fugitives involved in biggest ever credit fraud and money laundering. He stated that the people of Pakistan are justified to pose few questions from FATF as to why Pakistan is being dealt differently from India. These questions include India is sponsoring terrorism through heavy financing using RSS and Daesh in Kashmir and why is it being ignored and why India has not been made the subject of necessary legal action by FATF for its involvement in terror financing? He asked that why India has not been given similar 27 point action plans to be implemented by India? Why India is not made the subject of FATF of investigation? He questioned the President FATF that why FATF has not undertaken the investigation into the terror financing by India to Daesh? In another question, he asks why FATF has not picked up the matter of spying by India in the sovereign territory of Pakistan, which was financed by India and the living evidence is the arrest of Kulbhushan Yadav who was condemned by the competent court in Pakistan and why the terror financing to TTP and Afghan Taliban by India is being ignored by FATF?

Senator A. Rehman Malik stated that India was not charged with the same set of actions although it was involved in money laundering at the State level and there was irrefutable evidence against its involvement in money laundering but unlike Pakistan, the FATF chose not to investigate against India citing its limitations under FATF charter whereas these limitations were not applied on Pakistan.

“The most recent report of UN indicated the involvement of India in terror financing to ISIS, which has substantiated my allegations against India, as pointed out in my above referred letters”, the letter reads. While referring to his earlier correspondence, he said that he had requested in his earlier letters for removal of Pakistan from the grey list in the wake of Coronavirus Pandemic outbreak and he would like to thank FATF for deferring the deadline as per his request.

He expressed that despite difficult circumstances during COVID-19, Pakistan followed directions of FATF and successfully complied with 21 out of 27 points of action including 16 Bills passed by the Parliament. He added that the people of Pakistan consider the actions of FATF against Pakistan as discriminatory whereas FATF is silent vis-à-vis India although there is irrefutable evidence against it for its involvement in the training of terrorists, terror financing and export of terrorism in the region, especially to Pakistan. He said that the United Nations report announced on 10 May 2019, clearly demonstrated that India has been financing ISIS which is very serious and warrants action by FATF.

Former Interior Minister in his letter highlights that it is quite alarming for Pakistan that India has established 87 training camps of Daesh out of which 66 training camps on the Afghan soil while 21 of these exist in India. He pressed that India is violating international law by financing and strengthening the Daesh, TTP and other terrorist organizations. India is using all these terrorist groups for terrorist activities in neighbouring countries using the soil of Afghanistan.

He wrote that the latest report of UNO on Pakistan clearly shows that how Pakistan had diligently, effectively and sincerely helped US War on Terror and had helped the international community to eliminate terrorism in the world adding the report of UNO is testimony that Pakistan is neither involved in terror financing nor in money laundering, hence FATF should consider to remove the name of Pakistan from the grey list in the best interest of natural justice. He said that the report of EU DisInfoLab is an eye-opener, which has exposed Indian designs to malign Pakistan through the creation of fake anti-Pakistan material. Unfortunately, this material was used against Pakistan at international level and this material likewise influenced FATF. Reportedly, India directly or indirectly used this material against Pakistan, which needs thorough investigation as to how India used FATF against Pakistan for its geopolitical ill-motives, he adds.

In his letter, he expresses “I would like to plead my questions before the FATF if I am given a chance either as a citizen of Pakistan or as a witness to brief FATF”.

Senator A. Rehman Malik at the end of letter plead “I would once again like to request you to please remove Pakistan from the grey list as soon as possible keeping in view the contributions of Pakistan in the war on terror as well as national sufferings of Pakistan.”