ISLAMABAD   -  Former interior minister and Senator Rehman Malik yesterday wrote 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. 

Senator Malik, who is the Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior, made the letter public while addressing a news conference. He said it was a discriminatory treatment that Pakistan was being held accountable for undone crimes while India was being spared despite evidence. 

In his letter, Senator Rehman Malik wrote 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 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 said.

Senator Malik asked that why India had 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 asked why FATF had not picked up the matter of spying by India in sovereign territory of Pakistan, which was financed by India and the living evidence is the arrest of Kulbhushan Yadav who was condemned by competent court in Pakistan and why the terror financing to TTP and Afghan Taliban by India was being ignored by FATF?

Senator Malik said India was not charged with 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 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. 

Referring to his earlier correspondence, the lawmaker 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 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  May 10, 2019, clearly demonstrated that India has been financing ISIS which is very serious and warrants action by FATF.  

The former interior minister in his letter highlighted 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 UN 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 UN was 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 was 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 added.  

In his letter, he expressed: “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 Malik pleaded: “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.”