Rehman Malik urges PM to file petition in ICJ against FATF

Islamabad: Former Interior Minister and Chairman Institute of Research and Reforms (IRR) Senator A. Rehman Malik has written a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan urging to file a petition in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the FATF’s discrimination and continued victimization of Pakistan. He stated that some inimical countries are using FATF as a tool to put Pakistan under pressure with ulterior motives.In another letter to President FATF Dr. Marcus Pleyer, he has expressed grave concerns over the discrimination against Pakistan and has pleaded to initiate proceedings against India for money laundering and terror financing and investigate the Indian Foreign Minister’s confessional statement of influencing FATF.

Senator A. Rehman Malik made letters public while addressing a press conference here on Wednesday. In his letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, he has expressed that the continued victimization of Pakistan by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is of great concern to the people of Pakistan since it is damaging not only the country’s economy but also its credibility internationally. He wrote that Pakistan has been on the grey list since June 2018 and in every plenary session, FATF decides that Pakistan will continue to remain on the increased monitoring list- Grey List. “It is now crystal clear that some inimical countries are using FATF as a tool to put Pakistan under pressure with ulterior motives”, he added.

He writes that it is discrimination against Pakistan especially when our compliance is more than 88 % in fulfilling the demands of FATF.

He expressed that it was strange to note that many other states with more non-compliance to FATF are enjoying absolute immunity. He writes “I would like to further state that the USA has non-compliance of 22.5 %, France 25%, Israel 12.5%, and Japan 27.5% but none of these states are placed on the Grey List. Similarly, India has failed to meet the targets given by the FATF, yet no proceeding against it”. Pakistan has the right to know as to why this discrimination is against it when countries with a higher percentage of non-compliance to FATF are not placed on Grey List while Pakistan continues to be victimized without cogent reasons, he stressed. He questioned how can a country like the USA be entertained as a complainant which is itself non-compliance to FATF?

In his letter, Rehman Malik has advised PM Imran Khan to consider directing the Ministry of Law and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to file a petition/complaint in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the FATF’s discrimination and continued victimization of Pakistan based on the above-quoted facts.

He writes to PM “I would like to propose an offensive policy instead of remaining defensive as I believe that FATF will continue to place Pakistan on its enhanced monitoring list unless we bring its discrimination to ICJ for justice”.

In a separate letter to President FATF Dr. Marcus Pleyer, Rehman Malik has requested to investigate the confessional statement of the Indian foreign minister by a special team of FATF to expose the further truth.

The former Interior Minister questions the FATF that Pakistan has the right to know as to why this discrimination with it when countries with a higher percentage of non-compliance to FATF are not placed on Grey List while Pakistan is being victimized continuously which is damaging its economy constantly. “Among the FATF defaulter countries, G-8 members USA, France, Japan, and Russia also included. Moreover, how can a country which is itself non-compliance to FATF could be the complainant against another member state and the rest of the world also know that Pakistan has remained the victim of war on terror which was, in fact, USA war on terror” his letter reads.

He reminds FATF that he was on record with FATF that India is behind keeping Pakistan in ‘Grey List’ duly complained by the USA and he 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 pens that the secret of keeping Pakistan continuously in the FATF’s grey list has been unveiled by the Indian Foreign Minister’s confessional statement wherein he had stated “Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Narendra Modi ensured that Pakistan remained on the ‘grey list’ of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Due to us, Pakistan is under the lens of FATF and it was kept on the grey list.”

He stressed that the confession of the Indian foreign minister has raised a big question on the integrity and transparency of FATF and confirms the Indian involvement in pushing Pakistan into the FATF’s grey list. Unfortunately, FATF has not yet moved any action against Indian minister to prove the neutrality of FATF, he said.

He 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 action was being initiated against it by FATF”.

In the end, the former Interior Minister requests President FATF to investigate the confessional statement of Indian Foreign Minister by a special team of FATF to expose the further truth and consider taking the name of Pakistan out of the grey list without further loss of time.