What%20will%20happen%20on%20October%2021-23%20at%20the%20forthcoming%20virtual%20Plenary%20meeting%20of%20the%20Financial%20Action%20Task%20Force%20%28%20FATF%29%20is%20a%20question%20that%20is%20on%20the%20minds%20of%20all%20Pakistan-watchers%2C%20particularly%20those%20who%20are%20concerned%20about%20its%20role%20in%20promoting%20terrorism%20and%20using%20it%20as%20an%20instrument%20of%20state%20policy.%20Pakistan%20needs%20the%20help%20of%20three%20countries%20to%20stay%20out%20of%20the%20%27black%20list%27%2C%20and%20it%20is%20expected%20that%20it%20will%20manage%20that%20number%20due%20to%20the%20support%20from%20China%2C%20Turkey%20and%20Malaysia.%20However%2C%20for%20exiting%20the%20%27grey%20list%27%2C%20it%20needs%20the%20support%20of%2012%20out%20of%20the%2039%20members%3B%20this%20appears%20difficult%2C%20though%20one%20can%20never%20be%20sure%20because%20of%20the%20cloak%20and%20dagger%20diplomacy%20which%20is%20going%20on%20behind%20the%20scenes.%20%26nbsp%3B

It%27s%20an%20axiomatic%20truth%20that%20concerted%20global%20action%20is%20the%20only%20way%20to%20defeat%20the%20scourge%20of%20terrorism.%20As%20Barack%20Obama%20said%2C%20%22Where%20the%20stakes%20are%20the%20highest%2C%20in%20the%20war%20on%20terror%2C%20we%20cannot%20possibly%20succeed%20without%20extraordinary%20international%20cooperation.%20Effective%20international%20police%20actions%20require%20the%20highest%20degree%20of%20intelligence%20sharing%2C%20planning%20and%20collaborative%20enforcement%22.%20%26nbsp%3B

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/will-the-22-dialogue-equal-four%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EWill%20the%202+2%20dialogue%20equal%20four%3F%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

In%20this%20regard%2C%20Pakistan%20poses%20one%20of%20the%20biggest%20challenges%20to%20the%20international%20community%20as%20it%20has%20made%20terror%20an%20instrument%20of%20state%20policy.%20At%20an%20on-line%20event%20recently%20hosted%20by%20Asian%20Society%20on%20October%2016%2C%20External%20Affairs%20Minister%20S.%20Jaishankar%20called%20out%20Pakistan%2C%20saying%20%22Terrorism%20from%20Pakistan%20remains%20publicly%20acknowledged%20by%20their%20government%20as%20a%20policy%20that%20they%20are%20justifying.%20So%2C%20it%20makes%20it%20very%20hard%20to%20conduct%20normal%20relations%20with%20them%22.%20%26nbsp%3B

Though%20the%20Pakistan%20Foreign%20Office%20was%20quick%20to%20reject%20his%20remarks%2C%20it%20may%20be%20recalled%20that%20during%20his%20visit%20to%20Washington%20D.C.%20in%20July%20last%20year%2C%20Pakistan%27s%20Prime%20Minister%20Imran%20Khan%20had%20himself%20made%20some%20important%20admissions%20during%20his%20speeches.%20He%20had%20said%20that%20successive%20governments%20in%20Pakistan%20did%20not%20tell%20the%20truth%20to%20the%20United%20States%2C%20that%20there%20were%2040%20different%20militant%20groups%20operating%20within%20Pakistan%2C%20that%20the%20country%20still%20has%20about%2030%2C000%20to%2040%2C000%20militants%20who%20have%20been%20trained%20and%20fought%20in%20Afghanistan%20or%20Kashmir%20and%20that%20Jaish-e-Mohammed%20is%20operating%20in%20Pakistan%20as%20well%20as%20in%20India.%20Coming%20from%20the%20horse%27s%20mouth%2C%20this%20is%20incontrovertible%20proof%20of%20Pakistan%27s%20direct%20involvement%20in%20terrorism.

For%20the%20sake%20of%20its%20own%20long-tern%20interests%2C%20the%20international%20community%20must%20use%20all%20the%20means%20available%20to%20it%20and%20force%20Pakistan%20to%20mend%20its%20ways.%20In%20this%20regard%2C%20the%20important%20role%20being%20played%20by%20the%20Financial%20Action%20Task%20Force%20%26nbsp%3B%28FATF%29%20can%20hardly%20be%20overstated.%20It%20is%20an%20intergovernmental%20organisation%20founded%20in%201989%20on%20the%20initiative%20of%20the%20G7%20to%20develop%20policies%20to%20combat%20money%20laundering%2C%20and%20in%202001%2C%20its%20mandate%20was%20expanded%20to%20include%20terrorism%20financing.%20The%20FATF%20has%2039%20members%2C%20comprising%2037%20member%20jurisdictions%28including%20Hong%20Kong%29%20and%20two%20regional%20organisations%20%28%20the%20European%20Commission%20and%20the%20Gulf%20Cooperation%20Council%29%2C%20thus%20representing%20most%20of%20the%20major%20financial%20centres%20in%20all%20parts%20of%20the%20globe.%20India%20sees%20the%20FATF%20as%20an%20important%20body%20which%20can%20put%20pressure%20on%20Pakistan%20to%20dismantle%20the%20infrastructure%20that%20supports%20cross-border%20attacks.%20%26nbsp%3B

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/india-pakistan-and-afghanistan-the-trump-card%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EHow%20Pakistan%20got%20%27Trump%20card%27%20to%20outflank%20India%20in%20Afghanistan%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

The%20FATF%20identifies%20two%20sets%20of%20countries.%20The%20first%20category%20%28informally%20called%20the%20black%20list%29%20comprises%20%u201Ccountries%20or%20jurisdictions%20with%20such%20serious%20strategic%20deficiencies%20that%20the%20FATF%20calls%20on%20its%20members%20and%20non-members%20to%20apply%20counter-measures%u201D.%20Only%20North%20Korea%20and%20Iran%20are%20in%20this%20list.%20The%20second%20category%28%20referred%20to%20as%20the%20grey%20list%29%20includes%20those%20countries%20for%20which%20%u201CFATF%20calls%20on%20its%20members%20to%20apply%20enhanced%20due%20diligence%20measures%20proportionate%20to%20the%20risks%20arising%20from%20the%20deficiencies%20associated%20with%20the%20country%u201D.%20Pakistan%20was%20added%20to%20the%20second%20list%20in%20October%202012%20but%20managed%20to%20come%20out%20of%20it%20in%20February%202015.%20It%20was%20added%20for%20a%20second%20time%20in%20June%202018.%20Since%20then%2C%20it%20has%20been%20trying%20to%20exit%20the%20grey%20list%20again.%20Going%20by%20its%20record%2C%20it%20should%20be%20put%20in%20the%20black%20list%2C%20or%20at%20least%20prevented%20from%20coming%20out%20of%20the%20grey%20list.%20%26nbsp%3B

FATF%20works%20with%20the%20International%20Monetary%20Fund%28IMF%29%20and%20the%20World%20Bank%20who%20take%20into%20account%20its%20findings%20and%20recommendations.%20For%20example%2C%20the%20IMF%20puts%20conditions%20for%20bail-out%20packages%20based%20upon%20the%20fulfilment%20of%20FATF%20related%20compliances.%20Thus%2C%20the%20naming%20and%20shaming%20by%20the%20FATF%20has%20costs%2C%20which%20Pakistan%20has%20found%20out.%20Pakistan%27s%20economy%20is%20already%20in%20shambles%2C%20and%20the%20FATF%20grey-listing%20adds%20to%20its%20woes.

In%20this%20regard%2C%20it%20may%20be%20mentioned%20that%20Pakistan%20has%20reportedly%20hired%20a%20top%20US%20lobbyist%20firm%20to%20push%20its%20case%20with%20the%20Trump%20administration%20and%20get%20bailed%20out%20of%20the%20grey%20list.%20It%20is%20trying%20to%20hoodwink%20the%20US%20that%20it%20has%20no%20control%20over%20the%20leaders%20of%20the%20Taliban%2C%20Haqqani%20network%2C%20al%20Qaeda%20and%20Islamic%20State.%20Pakistan%20is%20claiming%20that%20these%20organisations%20are%20based%20in%20Afghanistan%2C%20have%20sufficient%20funds%20of%20their%20own%20and%20that%20it%20is%20not%20financing%20or%20helping%20them.%20It%20is%20also%20trying%20to%20deny%20the%20allegations%20that%20the%20Taliban%20and%20the%20Haqqani%20network%20operate%20from%20Quetta%20and%20Peshawar%2C%20or%20that%20the%20ISI%20is%20behind%20them.%20%26nbsp%3B

Despite%20this%2C%20Pakistan%20may%20find%20it%20difficult%20to%20exit%20the%20grey%20list.%20In%20this%20regard%2C%20the%20recommendations%20of%20The%20Asia-Pacific%20Group%20%28APG%29%2C%20the%20regional%20affiliate%20of%20FATF%20are%20significant.%20In%20its%20report%20earlier%20this%20month%2C%20the%20APG%20found%20that%20Pakistan%20is%20non-compliant%20on%20four%20important%20FATF%20recommendations%2C%20partially%20compliant%20on%20twenty-five%20and%20largely%20compliant%20on%20nine.%20Thus%2C%20it%20assessed%20Pakistan%27s%20progress%20on%20the%20recommendations%20of%20the%20FATF%20as%20meagre%20and%20retained%20Pakistan%20in%20the%20%u201CEnhanced%20Follow-Up%2C%u201D%20category.%20Pakistan%20says%20that%20the%20APG%20report%20will%20have%20no%20bearing%20on%20the%20upcoming%20FATF%20meeting%20to%20retain%20or%20move%20Pakistan%20out%20of%20the%20grey%20list%2C%20but%20indications%20are%20that%20it%20well%20might.

Pakistan%20has%20also%20hurriedly%20pushed%20through%20three%20legislations%u2014the%20Anti-Terrorism%20Act%20%28amendment%29%20Bill%2C%202020%2C%20the%20Anti-Money%20Laundering%20%28Second%20Amendment%29%20Bill%20and%20the%20Islamabad%20Capital%20Territory%20%28ICT%29%20Waqf%20Properties%20Bill%u2014by%20calling%20a%20special%20session%20of%20Parliament%20in%20September.%20These%20are%20merely%20in%20the%20nature%20of%20window-dressing%2C%20for%20there%20is%20no%20let-up%20in%20the%20terrorist%20attacks%20being%20abetted%20from%20Pakistani%20soil%20against%20India%20or%20Afghanistan.%20No%20doubt%2C%20Pakistan%20will%20claim%20that%20it%20is%20taking%20action%20to%20comply%20with%20the%20FATF%20recommendations%2C%20but%20it%20is%20hoped%20that%20the%20FATF%20will%20rise%20to%20the%20occasion%20and%20prevent%20Pakistan%20from%20pulling%20wool%20over%20its%20eyes.

%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Pakistan%22%20data-user-id%3D%22wizuXkuQ3rL8%22%20href%3D%22/topic/pakistan%22%3E%23Pakistan%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23ImranKhan%22%20data-user-id%3D%22KURTXl2n9VN4%22%20href%3D%22/topic/imran-khan%22%3E%23ImranKhan%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23China%22%20data-user-id%3D%22gtTvlJMpH5eQ%22%20href%3D%22/topic/china%22%3E%23China%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Malaysia%22%20data-user-id%3D%22UPSCcudv5yjy%22%20href%3D%22/topic/malaysia%22%3E%23Malaysia%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Turkey%22%20data-user-id%3D%22A6z1VcgKDNsr%22%20href%3D%22/topic/turkey%22%3E%23Turkey%3C/a%3E%26nbsp%3B